The Orleans Star April 29, 2021

Let’s hope this year gives us something to smile about!

Dr. Sally Ing

Dr. Kat Muzar

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

April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25

Next edition May 13

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

Allegations raise serious questions about past issues

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star

Past administrators at St. Matthew High School in Orléans are under the microscope as the school board starts an investigation into claims they ignored parents concerns regarding the behaviour of a former teacher now facing charges STAFF PHOTO

The Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) says it plans to investigate how past administrators at St. Matthew High School handled issues raised by students and parents about former teacher and coach Rick Watkins (aka Rick Despatie) after his arraignment on sex charges last week touched off a firestorm on social media.

Watkins, who recently changed his name from Rick Despatie after the Ottawa Catholic School Board found out about the police investigation, faces three counts each of sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual exploitation stemming from allegations involving girls under the age of 14 between the fall of 2020 and March of this year.

Watkins, 57, has been teaching at St. Matthew High School, where he was also the former

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head coach of the junior girls basketball team, for more than 25 years. He mainly taught Grade 7/8 math. He also coached the school’s girls hockey team and is the director of the Canadian Hockey Academy.

Watkins was suspended by the school board when the allegations first came to light on March 9, but many former students and their parents began posting a litany of allegations on social media when the charges against Watkins were made public on Tuesday.

The posts claim that past senior administrators at the school ignored concerns that had been raised about Watkins past behaviour for over 20 years. Some of those concerns allege that Watkins bullied male students, conducted himself inappropriately around female students and generally abused his position as a teacher.

Here is just a sample of some of the claims...

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Board launches investigation into claims against St. Matts Continued from page 1

A pick-up truck sits in front of a Bella Vista mobile home that was completely destroyed by a fire on April 15 The Ottawa Fire Service had to respond to six fires in as many days in Orléans, Blackburn Hamlet and Canotek Park between April 16 and April 22. OPS PHOTO

Ottawa Fire Service responds to spate of east end fires during busy week ORLÉANS – The east end units of the Ottawa Fire Service were kept busy last week responding to six fires in six days in Orléans, Blackburn Hamlet and Canotek Park. The week started off with a working fire on Woodhill Crescent in Blackburn Hamlet which was reported around the dinner hour on April 14. The fire started in the garage which sustained major damage. Firefighters were able to minimize the damage to the main part of the house. The next day, firefighters were called back to Blackburn Hamlet to battle a twoalarm fire on Autumn Hill Crescent. Crews reported the middle unit of a residential row of townhomes was already fully involved. The home where the fire started suffered major damage, while damage to the adjoining units was kept to a minimum. Firefighters managed to rescue a dog from the house. The dog which was giving oxygen on site. On April 16, fire completely destroyed a mobile home in the Bella Vista trailer park on St. Joseph Blvd. The fourth fire of the week caused minor damage to the roof above the main entrance to École secondaire catholique Garneau on Carrière Street. The week ended with a two-alarm fire on Aquarium Avenue in Avalon on April 22 that caused major damage to a single detached home. The fire started in the garage where the owner was spotted using his barbecue earlier in the evening.

Copies of Orléans road map are still available

ORLÉANS – Readers of the Orléans Star can still order a copy of the 2020 Orléans Road Map. The street map was produced by Sherwin Publishing Inc. and includes the various neighbourhoods of Orléans including Chapel Hill North and South, Convent Glen, Orléans Wood, Chateauneuf, Fallingbrook, Queenswood Heights and Avalon. To order your copy, simply send an email to editor@orleansstar.ca and include your name and address.

2 • April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25

“He was awful. He was a bully. If you spoke up for yourself, you would get suspended or he would just treat you worse....I’ve never had a teacher who made me feel so small. He always favoured the girls on the sports teams. I’m not shocked.”

“He belittled my son as well. My son was doing both Grade 8 and Grade 9 math for the accelerated program. We encouraged him to get help from his teacher. The teacher told him since you are such a smart kid teach yourself and figure it out. He gave my son very very low grades to which we had to bring it to the VP. She spoke to him and my son at least didn’t fail but he went from getting 98 in a class to 60 and it sent my son into a depression and was suicidal.

Nowhere near what these girls are going through but he was awful with the boys too.

He called him names and made fun of him.

So happy he has finally been caught. My son came upstairs last night cheering that karma finally got him.”

On Friday, OCSB Director of Education Thomas D’Amico sent out an email to the St. Matthew community stating that the board had begun a review to determine if the school and the board had failed to address previous concerns.

“We heard from some former students and parents that allegations had been brought forward to the previous school administration, yet they did not act on these concerns,” D’Amico writes in the email.

“Our Human Resource Department staff has begun a review to determine if we failed to address these concerns.”

D’Amico also apologizes in this email “to any former students who have experienced harm by someone in a position of trust.

No student in our care should be subjected

to any type of harm, especially when attending their own school, where so many staff work hard to create a safe and caring environment.”

A second investigation will be carried out by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT). The scope of the Ontario College of Teachers has not yet been made public.

One parent who claims that she repeatedly brought concerns about Watkins treatment of her son to the school principal is skeptical that the board will be able to carry ought a proper investigation without bias.

“I think the past administrator(s) should be held accountable for their inaction and should definitely be investigated and were they aware of the criminal activity this man was perpetuating against young girls – yes. Many of the boys were bullied, is that criminal, maybe not but it should not ever be tolerated,” says Chantal GauvreauLarocque.

“As for the investigation, a lot of parents and students may not come forward because they have completely lost faith in the school and the board. I am sorry, but St Matt’s has completely lost the faith of the parents, why would any of them trust the school administration.”

Gauvreau-Larocque believes the Ontario College of Teachers investigation will be better received, but only if they look into the allegations completely they are able to make recommendations on remedial and corrective actions that will be carried out and followed up on.

The board is asking that anyone who has made a prior complaint against Watkins during his tenure at St. Matthew to contact the OCSB’s superintendent of human resources, Steve McCabe, by emailing Stephen.McCabe@ocsb.ca.

East end COVID-19 cases continue dramatic rise

By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star The number of COVID-19 cases in Ottawa’s three east end wards has more than doubled for the second two-week period in a row.

After the number of cases in Orléans, Innes and Cumberland Wards increased from 141 to 253 between March 22 and April 5, they more than doubled again between April 5 and April 19, going from 253 to 556 cases. The 556 cases represents 20 per cent of the total number of cases reported in the three east end wards since the pandemic began.

Orléans Ward saw its number of COVID cases increase from 73 to 140 between April 5 and April 19. The number of cases in Cumberland Ward jumped from 124 to 237 during the same two-week period, and in Innes Ward the number of cases increased by more than 250 per cent, going from 66 to 179 reported cases.

City-wide, there were 3,858 reported cases in Ottawa between April 5 and April 19, that’s an 85 per cent increase in the number of cases from the two-week period previous when there were 2,102 reported cases.

The Ottawa Public Health dashboard does not indicate how many of the reported cases are currently active.

Despite the dramatic increase in cases between April 5 and April 19, the number of active dropped dramatically last week going from 3,574 on Sunday, April 19, to 2,869 active cases by Saturday, April 24. That is the lowest number of active cases in Ottawa since April 8.

The seven-day average number of reported cases is also down, going from 274.13 per 100,000 residents between April 9 and April 16 to 170.1 per 100,000 residents between April 16 and April 22.

The estimated reproduction rate, which is a measure of the average number of secondary cases of the disease caused by a single infected person, also dropped below 1.0 last week for the first time since February and it’s been on a steady decline since April 11.

The number of COVID patients in hospital were also on the decline last week, going from 124 on Sept. 17 to 109 by the end of the week. Several patients were also transferred out of intensive care last week, but on Friday 22 still remained.

Number of new cases reported in east end wards between April 5 and April 19

Orléans Ward 140 cases

Innes Ward 179 cases

As of last Friday, 274,215 Ottawa residents had received at least one dose of the vaccine which represents nearly 68 per cent of the eligible population over the age 50 and 30 per cent of the eligible population over 16.

Only 28,686 residents have received a second dose, most of whom are either seniors over the age of 75, health care providers or essential care givers.

The highest daily rate of vaccinations

Cumberland Ward 237 cases

occurred on April 16 when 3,577 people received a jab.

A record 3,219 doses were given out last Friday. More than 16,000 doses in all were administered between Monday, April 19 and Friday, April 23.

The number of vaccinations is expected to ramp up over the coming weeks with additional deliveries expected from the United States and vaccinations now available for persons 40 and over.

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April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25 • 3

Accountability Last week, suspended St. Matthew High School teacher Rick Despatie, who now goes by the name of Rick Watkins, was charged with three counts each of sexual assault, sexual interference and sexual exploitation. I won’t comment on the charges except to say that he should be presumed innocent until and unless the charges against him are proven in a court of law.

But even if Watkins, aka Rick Despsatie, is found innocent of the charges laid against him, the maelstrom of allegations of inappropriate behaviour that have been leveled against him by former students on social media cannot be ignored, and by themselves, if proven true, would warrant the dismissal of any educator who acted in such a manner.

These allegations go back more than 20 years and include everything from bullying students, unfair academic treatment, and inappropriate behaviour towards female students including the invasion of private space. If this were just one or two accusations, their veracity might come under question, but there are literally dozens of accounts of his inappropriate behaviour posted online.

And as odious as those alleged accounts are, there’s something that is equally as upsetting and equally disturbing bubbling under the surface and that is the failure of successive school administrators to do anything about it despite a myriad of complaints filed against the teacher – some allegedly and some that I have seen with my own eyes because the parents have kept the email exchanges.

When one incident was brought to the principal of the day by a parent, they were told that it was the first time the principal had heard of such a thing which, according to the social media posts regarding Watkins’ alleged behaviour, if proven true, is demonstrably false.

There are other allegations made by students who say they were either given detentions or suspended after confronting Watkins or bringing them to the attention of the vice-principal or principal.

Even more disturbing are the accounts of the psychological damage some past students have suffered as a result of their experiences.

Some have had to battle depression and some have even considered committing suicide. A number of parents are contemplating bringing a class action lawsuit against the Ottawa Catholic School Board.

Which brings me to the point of accountability. The Ottawa Catholic School Board has announced that they have launched an investigation into the actions, or inaction, of the various principals and vice-principals who have been in charge of the school during the 25-plus years Watkins has been teaching and coaching there. The investigation is being conducted by the board’s human resources department which wants to talk to as many students and parents as possible who were either victims of Watkins alleged behaviour, or victims of the head office’s alleged refusal or inability to do anything about it. But that’s just the start. The Ontario College of Teachers plans to launch its own investigation.

The kids and their parents have a right to be heard, their testimony made public and those responsible held accountable so that it never happens again.

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.

4 • April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25

Budget 2021 provides support for Canada’s families and businesses The federal Budget 2021 was presented on April 19. This thorough and prudent plan carries on with the fight against COVID-19, focuses on creating more jobs and invests in providing support to you, our families, and our businesses.

Here are some highlights...

Since families are at the core of our communities, the government is making a historic investment of $30 billion over five years in childcare and early learning services. This is key to families – and women in particular, who often bear a bigger burden of childcare. It will create $10-a-day childcare services by 2026, drive economic growth and offer each child in our community the best start in life.

For the people who built this country – our seniors – Budget 2021 serves as a renewed commitment to do right by them. The government is investing $3 billion over five years to ensure national long-term care standards, increasing OAS by 10% for people over 75 years starting in 2022, and providing a one-time payment to OAS pensioners 75 or over in August.

The budget also includes over $2 billion in new funding going towards support for Canada’s economic development. Hard-hit businesses will benefit from extended support until September 25, and from funding that will help hire more workers, support the revitalization of community infrastructure, and create one million jobs by the end of the year.

As we celebrated Earth Day last week, I am very pleased to see numerous measures included in the budget abiding by Canada’s new target to reduce emissions by 40-45% below 2005 levels, by 2030.

The government is investing in a green recovery that will help Canada build a net-zero economy, reach its target to conserve 25% of its lands and oceans by 2025, and help more than 200,000 Canadians make their homes greener.

Moreover, I’m happy to see near $400 million in new funding to support our official languages, as well as a renewed commitment to support Canada’s racialized communities and women across our country.

The budget includes initiatives that will contribute to build a more diverse and inclusive federal public service, while working with partners to build a more equal and just future.

Here in Ottawa, you can now get vaccinated if you are 40 or over. You can register online or call to book your vaccine at a pharmacy near you. Visit https:// covid-19.ontario.ca/vaccine-locations for details.

Although we are making progress, variants of concern continue to threaten our hard work to get COVID-19 under control. Now is not the time to be complacent. Together, let’s keep following local public health orders and stay home whenever possible.

The Attitude of Gratitude amidst COVID doom and gloom Well, we finally have gotten through the #AwfulApril only to look ahead, but it is not a cheerful look, to a #MorbidMay. Even as daily case counts crest in the coming fortnight, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and deaths will not abate as quickly.

Let me give it to you straight, mass vaccination will stretch well past Halloween, any semblance of normal (no masks, no gathering restrictions) is gone until Spring 2022 and vaccine hesitancy – occurring now in the United States as supply eclipses demand – is a real risk in Canada as well.

Herd immunity is not guaranteed.

A fourth wave – severity yet to be determined – of COVID-19 will come later this fall, mistakes by federal and provincial officials (they are human and tired) will continue to make headlines, and heartbreaking scenes from around the world because of first world vaccine nationalism and the inability of poorer countries’ health systems to cope with the pandemic will play out for months to come.

Yet, amidst all this doom and gloom which I cannot control, I find solace in what I can control… my reaction and mindset.

Now more than ever, an attitude of gratitude can be very powerful for perspective and mindfulness. Time to thank those folks who have helped me (and you) get through the

Walter Robinson Guest Column last 14 to 15 months.

Thanks to everyone at the grocery store from checkout clerks to produce and shelf stackers, the bakery and deli staff, and the nice kids sanitizing baskets and shopping carts. To the truck drivers and back-of-thestore teams, regional distribution centre employees, folks on farms and in meat and food processing operations around the country, and hard (and often migrant) labourers across the continent, you are appreciated.

A shout out to the team at the pharmacy (pharmacist, techs, and counter staff) for filling my prescriptions and being there for odds and ends when the grocery store is not an option. To everyone across the pharmaceutical supply chain in Canada – the most secure, reliable, and efficient on the planet – thanks for keeping me, and all of us, healthy given our assorted chronic

conditions… oh, and getting #COVID-19 vaccines to us as well.

To the hard-working employees across our city from water and wastewater services, waste management and recycling, public works teams, traffic operations and signals management, OC Transpo employees, police, fire, ambulance, and paramedics, I am grateful that you show up for work each day so the rest of us can work from home.

Kudos are due to local restaurateurs, their kitchen teams and drivers (employed or appdriven delivery services) for surviving and feeding us – after investing tens of thousands of dollars in their promises to open-up, scale back, re-open, shut down etc. – as we comfortably dial-in or order meals on-line and sometimes get snarky (sorry!) when 45 minutes turns into 90 minutes for dinner to show up.

For my friends at the LCBO, Beer Store and boutique wine concessions, thanks for keeping the shelves full and for that great wine-pairing advice when Vintages didn’t have my first choice. Ditto to everyone in your supply chain.

For the volunteers, staff and healthcare professionals at all COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites, thanks for your dedication and professionalism. To those of you in our regional laboratory system who have been

going non-stop for 14 months, your service has been exemplary.

A special virtual hug to the caregivers, serving staff and administrative teams at The Promenade and Jardin Royal for keeping my mother safe. No doubt many of you reading this column have warm hearts and immense feelings for the tireless service of staff in other long-term care and seniors’ residences as well.

Finally, no amount of gratitude is enough for the intensivists, respirologists, doctors, ICU nurses, other medical and support staff, along with the folks at ORNGE shuttling patients around the province … so many of them are working in a daily world of human suffering, the scope of which we will never truly or fully comprehend while we go about our days of Zoom calls, lunchtime walks and binge-watching Netflix, Crave and Prime.

God Bless You! We are about 60 per cent of our way through this pandemic as long as the vaccinations do their job, we do ours in terms of following public health guidelines, and the long list (which is not exclusive) of front-line workers named in this column continue to show up to support and serve us.

Show them some love, they deserve it. #ThankYou #MerciBeaucoup #MuchasGracias

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Health, Happiness and Home April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25 • 5

T:4.9"

City needs to take serious look at Millennium Park dome proposal and may lead to a loss in property values. I would certainly expect representatives of the French Catholic school board to listen to and respect the opinions of the local community.

5. This older “Heart of Orléans” part of town does not have the infrastructure to accommodate extra traffic along St. Joseph Blvd., Orléans Blvd., and Belcourt Blvd., let alone Carriere Street. Orléans already has a car mentality that is lacking in effective trafficcalming measures Having group sports or teams play in the dome will bring extra traffic.

I support the proposed dome at Millennium Park because of the following reasons: 1. There is a vast expanse of land on which to build the facility.

2. Homes built after the dome is constructed will be purchased by willing consumers.

3. Sports facilities are highly valued additions to Orléans, however the must be located in the right place at the right time.

4. There is adequate infrastructure including cycle lanes and multi-use pathways in and around Millennium Park to support a dome.

Thank you for listening to my concerns.

Regards, Denise Marion

T:11"

Social gatherings can have deadly consequences.

To the editor: cc Laura Dudas, Evode Rwagasore, It was with surprise and optimism that I learned in the April 1st edition of the Orléans Star edition there is a viable option for a “Superdome”, not at the cramped Garneau high school outdoor track but in the great wide accessible spaces at Millennium Park.

As a resident who moved to Belcourt Blvd. with my family in 1968 and returned again in 1999, I have witnessed a lot of growth in Orléans. I envisioned a friendly respectful Orléans as development moved forward.

That said, I do not support the dome off at Garneau high school for many reasons: 1. It is a busy route during school opening and closing hours.

2. There is no bicycle lane or multi-use pathway for elementary or high school students to use.

3. There is a lack of parking around these schools, even with the MIFO parking lot and the Carriere Park parking lot.

4. Homeowners who stand to be the most impacted by the dome did not purchase their homes with the expectation of seeing a massive white dome outside their windows. This is inconsiderate of purchasing expectations

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6 • April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25 Cossette

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Increase in jabs are helping us Explore a wide array of online round the corner on COVID-19 arts and cultural programming It’s a strange and unpredictable time of are working! It’s important to keep in mind year for the weather, but if we’ve learned that the vaccine does not prevent you from anything about our planet over the past getting COVID, but it protects you from 13 months, it’s that the needing to go to the outdoors, fresh air and hospital if you do catch it. nature are incredibly Preventing hospital and Tim important to our wellICU patients is exactly Tierney what we need to focus being. We’ve had our back yards, front yards, on now to provide muchparks and pathways as a needed relief to our health way of escaping from the Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward 11 care system. monotony of staying home.

Now that pharmacies are accepting 40+ I want to give a shout-out to our OPH for the AstraZeneca vaccine, we’re seeing team who has been working tirelessly to a wave of GenXers getting their shots and share the most up-to-date information and sharing their vaxxies (vaccination selfies)! keeping us in the loop on COVID trends and I’m currently on a waiting list and cannot vaccination information. wait for my turn to get my shot. We are well Most importantly, I must commend them on our way to better times and I encourage for the incredible teams who have been everyone who is eligible for a shot to sign up rolling out our vaccinations as quickly as and get one. possible. We are seeing a rise in patients at This week is also National Volunteer the Ottawa Hospital, but we are seeing a Week and what a great time to recognize decline in patients ages 80 and up. This trend members of our community and beyond will continue for our 70+ folks in the coming who give their time and efforts to helping weeks and so on for younger cohorts as more out and contributing to an array of different and more people get vaccinated. programs, initiatives and causes. Thank you This is a huge indicator that the vaccines to all our incredible volunteers!

Over the past year, many organizations ottawa.ca/activities/meetings. Through differhave had to pivot and move operations onto ent talks and presentations, the Society shares digital platforms. Along with jobs, school, the stories of the assassination of Thomas medical appointments and D’Arcy McGee, the exercise classes, our favdiscoveries unearthed ourite arts and cultural during the renovations Laura centres have also shifted of Parliament Hill, and Dudas to the online world. In many others. Both future many cases, they are and past events are hosted sharing their high-quality on their website, so do not Innes Ward 2 entertainment and running worry if you miss one. interactive workshops for free or at a minimal I would also be remiss if I did not highlight cost. some of the phenomenal music, theatre, Recently, I had the opportunity to experience and dance selections from the National Arts the Cumberland Heritage Museum’s virtual Centre (www.hnac-cna.ca/en/). These online exhibition – Cabinet of Curiosities (ottawa. programs are a fantastic way to introduce the ca/cumberlandmuseum). This exhibit offers family to different arts programming, such a digital museum tour of historical artifacts as symphony, ballet, Indigenous storytelling, selected by staff. Another exhibition I that you might otherwise miss. have found enjoyable is the Encore series The year has not been particularly easy, and (shenkmanarts.ca/en/events), developed and an important part of self care is taking the time recorded at our very own Shenkman Arts to do the things we enjoy.

Centre, spotlighting local musical artists.

If you visit my website at LauraDudas.ca/ For those that have always wanted to activities-for-families/ you will find a comlearn more about the history of Ottawa, the plete list of these activities, as well as other Historical Society of Ottawa has curated a offerings from Ottawa’s museums and cultural speaker series found at www.historicalsociety organizations. Stay safe!

BE A PART OF OTTAWA’S PUBLIC MARKET EXPERIENCE Marchés d’Ottawa Markets invites all of Ottawa to explore the historic Parkdale and ByWard markets starting in May!

VIVEZ L’EXPÉRIENCE DES MARCHÉS PUBLICS D’OTTAWA

Marchés d’Ottawa Markets invite tous les habitants d’Ottawa à explorer les marchés historiques Parkdale et By, à partir du mois de mai!

7 days a week, our public markets at ByWard and Parkdale will be bustling with Artisans, Crafters, and all the Canadian produce one could ask for. The tradition continues as Marchés d’Ottawa Markets aims to create exciting and dynamic markets for locals and tourists alike.

2021 marks the launch of The York Street Farmers’ Market – a producer only farmers’ market on Saturdays in ByWard. Grab a mask and your reusable bag and get ready to shop Saturdays on York Street this summer!

Marchés d’Ottawa Markets is also excited to announce the launch of the Parkdale Night Market. Expanding the historic and bustling Parkdale Market into the twilight hours, the Parkdale Night Market will feature unique new offerings to the area.

Sept jours sur sept, les Marchés publics By et Parkdale regorgeront de marchands, d’artisans et de produits locaux et canadiens. Marchés d’Ottawa Markets visent à créer des marchés dynamiques pour les habitants et les touristes.

Par ailleurs, 2021 marque le lancement du Marché Fermier de la rue York – un marché de producteurs uniquement offert le samedi, dans le Marché By. Cet été, apportez un masque et votre sac réutilisable et faites des trouvailles, tous les samedis, sur la rue York.

L’équipe des Marchés d’Ottawa Markets est également ravie d’annoncer le lancement du Marché de Nuit Parkdale.

Jusqu’au crépuscule, le Marché de Nuit Parkdale proposera de nouvelles offres uniques dans la région.

Get ready for some great finds as you market hop this season!

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April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25 • 7

8 • April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25

Young Orléans author makes a case for future female leaders Special to the Orléans Star The COVID-19 pandemic has no doubt been a challenging time for everyone.

However, while many called 2020 a writeoff, Orléans resident Lucy Whichelo decided to change the story.

As a 21-year-old student in her final year at McGill University, Lucy had high hopes for the year. In January of 2020, Lucy set out for Edinburgh, Scotland, for her longawaited exchange semester at the University of Edinburgh. Little did she know that no less than three months later, her exchange plans would be brought to a halt.

As the COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe and spread across the United Kingdom, Lucy was pulled out of her exchange program and had to pack her bags to head home a whole two months early. With universities struggling to adapt to the move online and student jobs being cancelled, Lucy, like many other students, was left with a lot of down time that she was not entirely sure what to do with. That was when she found an opportunity to do something that she had always wanted to do – write a book.

While browsing her LinkedIn in late April of 2020, Lucy came across an application to be part of a book-writing program called the

Creator Institute.

The program, run by Eric Koester, a professor of entrepreneurship at Georgetown University offers a hands-on learning experience for aspiring writers to write a book about something they are passionate about. The program provides participants with coaching and editing support, as well as a publisher, to support their book writing goals.

The application for the program involved providing a writing sample, answering a couple Lucy Whichelo of questions about your interests and passions, and a pitch about what you want to write about. Lucy, as a Political Science major and an avid supporter of gender equality and women’s empowerment initiatives, thought she would mesh these two interests together.

After reading up on articles about the crisis of female ‘unelectablility’ following the 2016 US presidential election and the 2020 democratic presidential primaries, Lucy decided to pitch her idea for a book about

the need for women in politics, the unique challenges that women leaders face, and the things we need to do in our communities to help combat these challenges and create a more inclusive environment for women in positions of political leadership. Lucy pitched her book under the title of Unelectable: Making Space for a Future with Female Leaders.

Lucy’s book pitch was accepted, and she went on to tackle the crisis of female unelectability and write about how the double standards that female politicians face in their careers act as a barrier to the equal representation and value given to women in politics. She also decided to look at the ways in which we are seeing a greater willingness of society to have a more open, honest and vulnerable conversation about these struggles and actively try to change the way we think about and treat women in politics After her nine-month journey of writing, editing, and marketing her book, Unelectable was accepted by New Degree Press for publication, and was launched on April 30, 2021. The book can be found on Amazon in both e-book and paperback editions and is available in e-book format for just $0.99 until the end of May.

We’ve got you

Lucy hopes her book can act as a conversation starter about gendered exclusion, bias, and burdens against women in the political sphere, and pave the way for changes to be made to the way we see and treat female leadership. Ultimately, her goal is to provide a vision for a way forward in creating a space for a female-led future.

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April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25 • 9

Bearbrook Game Meats caters to backyard BBQers and gourmet grillers alike STAR STAFF – Turn your summer barbeque from ordinary to extraordinary with exotic burgers, sausages and steaks from Bearbrook Game Meats located at 5396 Dunning Rd. Bearbrook Game Meats has a wide variety of exotic meat including buffalo, elk, venison, emu and wild boar. Everything they sell is processed on site and is totally chemical free. The animals are all grass-, hay- and grain-fed and raised without the use of antibiotics, hormones or other chemicals.

Bearbrook Game Meat also sells a wide variety of eggs including duck, goose, emu and peacock and pre-prepared entrees and side dishes such as red cabbage, spetzel and sauerkraut.

The are currently offering a Spring Special of 10% off everything from Smoked Duck Breast to Red Angus Top Round Steaks and Lamb Leg Roast.

One of the items the Bearbrook Game Meat Store is most famous for is their

Wild-Game-To-Go takeout dinners that you simply have to warm up in the microwave or oven. For example they have Buffalo Stew with Wild Currant Sauce, Venison Stew with Juniper Berries & Red Currant Sauce, and Emu Meat Balls with Videlia Onion Sauce. The meals are made on site and then flash frozen to ensure they are fresh and flavourful when you serve them to your family and friends.

The Bearbrook Game Meat Store is located at 5396 Dunning Rd., just south of Russell Road.

To get there from Orléans, take Frank Kenny Road south to Russell Road, turn left at Russell Road and continue until you get to Dunning. Once you’re at Dunning Road, turn right and the farm is on the righthand side of the road. You can also take Innes Road east to Dunning Road, then turn right and follow it all the way to the store.

The store is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m seven days a week during the ongoing

10 • April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25

Bearbrook Game Meats sells burgers and sausages made with a variety of different game meats including buffalo, venison, elk as well as the more traditional beef and pork. FILE PHOTO pandemic. For more information, visit www. bearbrookfarm.com or call 613-835-2227.

You can also purchase Bearbrook Game Meat at a number of farmer’s markets across Ottawa including the Orléans Market held

every Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the parking lot at the Ray Friel Recreation Centre on Tenth Line Road.

Bearbrook also offers free home delivery on orders over $100.

Pre-registration for vaccines begins Monday for pregnant individuals Beginning Monday, April 26 at 2 p.m., pregnant individuals will be able to preregister for a vaccine appointment. These individuals, as well as others previously identified as people with the highest risk health conditions, and one of their caregivers, can visit Ottawa Public Health to pre-register.

The Province of Ontario now lists pregnant individuals as part of the highest risk health priority group.

Individuals who are pregnant are advised to have a discussion with their health care provider prior to getting vaccinated. A

letter from a physician is not required for vaccination. The second dose interval for this group will remain at 16 weeks.

A pregnant individual can have someone who is supporting them during their pregnancy vaccinated as well. This would apply when the pregnant individual needs regular and sustained help with personal care, or to help them with their normal daily activities.

Pre-registration is still open to individuals with highest risk health conditions and their caregivers, including: • Organ transplant recipients

• Hematopoietic stem cell transplant reci-pients • People with neurological diseases in which respiratory function may be com-pro-mised (e.g., motor neuron disease, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis) • Haematological malignancy diagnosed less than one year ago • People with kidney disease Residents of all ages who are not yet eligible for the vaccine are encouraged to follow announcements on the City of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health websites

and social media channels, and from your local news media to learn when they can receive their vaccine. They can also sign up for the COVID-19 vaccination update e-subscription for regular news on the vaccine roll-out.

Visit ottawa.ca or OttawaPublicHealth.ca for more information on Ottawa’s vaccination distribution plan.

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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April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25 • 11

Keeping Our Distance Is Bringing Us Together

It’s a challenging time for all of us.

When the time arrives, we’ll be re-opening our doors and welcoming new homeowners to discover our wonderful community.

Until then, stay safe, follow government guidelines and respect your neighbours.

At Cardinal Creek Village, community comes first.

613 830-8467

S H O P, T O U R A N D B U Y O N L I N E 12 • April 29, 2021 • Volume 35, No. 25