April 1 Newsletter 2022

April 1, 2022 newsletter from Rawlson King, City Councillor for Rideau-Rockcliffe.

This past week has seen the highest levels of COVID-19 in Ottawa’s wastewaster. While public health measures have relaxed, it is important to be cognizant of the ongoing situation. It is perfectly alright to assess your own comfort levels in certain settings and to take a step back when needed. Together, we will get through this.  

Next week, my office in collaboration with Councillor Fleury’s office, will be holding a consultation for wards 12 and 13 on the Transportation Master Plan. Careful newsletter readers may recall that this consultation was originally supposed to be held on April 5, but has now been moved to Thursday, April 7. Also next week, there will be an after-school COVID-19 vaccination clinic on April 5 at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School. No appointments necessary. To better support the wellness of Ottawa residents, Ottawa Public Health will be piloting Neighbourhood Wellness Hubs. These hubs will help residents better access mental health and substance use supports. Finally, tomorrow the ACB Wellness Resource Centre will be hosting The African, Caribbean Black Health and Wellness Event from 11am to 6pm. Join them for a focused group discussion on vaccine acceptance in the ACB community and much more. 

Wards 12 & 13 TMP Consultation April 7 

Both myself and Councillor Fleury want to share the opportunity to participate in our upcoming Ward 12 and 13 Transportation Master Plan Community presentation. This event will focus on how the draft TMP policies will influence areas of concern specific to our two unique communities, such as truck routes and movement through residential and main streets (including future interprovincial crossings), Cross-city cycling connections and complete street investments for areas such as Beechwood and McArthur Avenues and future active transportation needs and missing links. 

You can register in advance for this meeting: 

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrfuiorDkvGtHjvgmrkLXi0yf41VhIxCRR 

As well, leading up to the meeting, if you haven’t already, please feel free to review the draft TMP policies and fill out the TMP’s online survey: 

https://engage.ottawa.ca/transportation-master-plan/news_feed/tmp-one-pagers or you can also provide feedback directly by emailing [email protected] 

*This event was originally scheduled for April 5. 

Drop-In COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic on April 5 

On Tuesday, April 5 there will be a drop-in after-school vaccination clinic at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School. The clinic is located at 675 Gardenvale Road and will take place from 4:15pm to 7:30pm. The priority for the after-school clinics are children aged 5 to 11 years, their families and household members in the surrounding community. Those living in the surrounding area who still need a 1st, 2nd or booster dose (if eligible) of the COVID-19 vaccine are also welcome. No appointments necessary. 

New Resource From Ottawa Public Health 

Starting April 5, 2022, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) will be implementing pilot Neighborhood Wellness Hubs in 5 locations across the City.  

To better support the wellness of Ottawa residents, staff working in the Neighbourhood Wellness Hubs will be promoting mental health and substance use health directly in our communities and connecting residents with social services supports.  

The 5 locations will be:  

• Rideau Rockcliffe Community Resource Centre, 815 St. Laurent Boulevard 
• Bellevue Community Centre, 1475 Caldwell Avenue 
• Albion-Heatherington Recreation Centre, 1560 Heatherington Road 
• Boys & Girls’ Club Ron Kolbus Clubhouse, 2825 Dumaurier Avenue  
• Boys & Girls’ Club Don McGahan Clubhouse, 430 McArthur Avenue 

To reduce stigma and barriers to accessing mental health and substance use supports, the Hub services will be provided by culturally diverse public health staff. Residents will be able to access strategies, tips and resources on wellness, support with booking of short-term counselling, system navigation of mental health and substance use health counselling and programs, and access to social services through the Community and Social Services Department’s Employee and Social Services teams.  

OPH is proud to be operating the pilot Neighborhood Wellness Hubs in partnership with the City of Ottawa’s Community and Social Services Department, Upstream Ottawa, AccessMHA, Counselling Connect and 1Call1Click.   

The African, Caribbean Black Health and Wellness Event  

An opportunity for African, Caribbean & Black community members to reaffirm the need for culturally responsive health services and programs. Participate in the event on Saturday, April 2 from 11am to 6pm at the ACB Wellness Resource Centre, 1021 Cyrville Rd unit #9. 

• COVID-19 vaccines available from 11am 
• FREE wellness checks (BMI, BP, random blood sugar) 
• Get a chance to WIN a gift from Beauty Profs 
• FREE massages 
• Food basket donations for community members from Restore International Foundation 
• Afrocentric food and drinks will be served 
• Recreational activities for kids on-site 
• Screening of Cancer While Black docuseries 

Register on Eventbrite.