How to Navigate Small Business Emergencies

 Small business emergencies can come in different forms and have a significant impact on your operations, finances, and reputation. By being aware of these potential crises, you can proactively prepare and implement strategies to mitigate their effects.  Emergency Funding in a Global Pandemic  The global COVID-19 pandemic had a profound

Please continue to wear your masks in indoor public spaces

 On Saturday, Ontario removed mask mandates in public transit and healthcare settings. I should point out that all hospitals in Ottawa will continue with mask requirements. This means we will no longer be required to wear masks in public transit, healthcare settings, and indoor spaces. Here’s where things get a

The World Health Assembly is no place for petty politics.

 by Zhao Yong, Chargé d'affaires, a.i. of the Chinese Embassy in Canada The coronavirus epidemic continues to rage around the world, and Omicron is constantly mutating. At the same time, geopolitical conflicts, climate change and other factors are at play, posing severe challenges to human well-being. As all of this unfolds,

Ways in which the Ottawa restaurant scene has changed since COVID-19 struck and how businesses are starting to battle back

 The pandemic affected every area of life and business, and the restaurant trade was one of the industries that were the hardest hit. As in every other state, Ottawa’s eateries suffered badly as a result of Covid-19 and needed to adapt - quickly -  to survive.  We take a look

My close encounter of the Covid kind

 Last week, I received an email from one of the caregiver agencies that provide nurses that one had tested positive for Covid, and I had to self-isolate. Almost instantly after reading the email, I went through many emotions, but fear and anger were the main ones. My fear stemmed from

The tyranny of the unvaccinated minority

 Editor’s note:  This article was written on 22 December.  Since then, Quebec case loads are over 16,000 and Ontario’s peak so far at near 18,000, both of which are considered underestimates. By George Petrolekas In medicine, in the face of either injuries, infection or other maladies, the medical system in peace

Lockdowns and the Covid class battle

 When walking through the streets of Ottawa’s ByWard Market, it’s easy to see the carnage that Covid-19 has inflicted upon local business. Empty restaurants and shop windows are commonplace. Institutions like Tuckers Marketplace and The Fish Market are gone. Both symbols of the ByWard Market are now gone forever, driven

Unspoken causes of vaccine avoidance and public health noncompliance

 In Canada we are fortunate, in that a vast majority of our population take public health rules and guidance very much to heart. Most of us have availed ourselves of the offered vaccines, and most make a pretty decent effort to comply with distancing, masking rules, and gathering sizes. Nonetheless,

Anti-government control groups have used Covid as a Trojan horse

 ABOVE: Chris (Saccoccia) Sky is a Canadian Covid denier and anti-vaxxer who is purposely spreading misinformation. (PHOTO: CTV VIA YOUTUBE)  by Dante Caloia On top of testing the limits of Canadian citizens, Covid-19 has also tested the limits of our political ideologies and fundamental beliefs. More specifically, it has caused tension in

Covidiots, and their cure

 Author’s Note: I wrote this on June 27, 2021, as Canada’s drive to get second doses of Covid-19 vaccines distributed was picking up steam. And first doses continued to roll out, but not quite as fast as hoped. While we have had uptake from much higher percentages than in most

One person’s story of being in isolation due to Covid

 Recently, I was chatting to a long-time friend of mine about Covid-19. They live in a local care facility. Out of respect for their privacy and any possible ramifications, I won’t mention their name or where they live. But I did want to share their story partly because it’s rarely

A most consequential virus

 Title: Apollo's Arrow: The Profound And Enduring Impact Of Coronavirus On The Way We Live Published: October 27, 2020 Publisher: Little, Brown And Company ISBN:  13:9780316628211 In Apollo’s Arrow, Nicholas A. Christakis tells an essential, if incomplete, story about Covid-19 and the pandemic through which we are still living. 1. A Novel

Reopening doesn’t mean it’s accessible to everyone

 As I’m sure you’re all aware by now, Ottawa is set to reopen on Tuesday, at least in a limited form; businesses such as restaurants, gyms and salons will be allowed to reopen with restrictions. Last week, I discussed how I thought it was too soon. I still feel that

Another coulda shoulda woulda . . . but it is not too late.

 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of today (11 February 2021), there have been 106,797,721 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,341,145 deaths since COVID-19 began its devastating spread in January 2020. A year ago at this time, large parts of China were in full COVID-19 lockdown and soon

Reopening Ontario — is it too soon?

 With the stay at home order set to expire on February 9th, discussion began as to what Doug Ford’s next step will be. Much of the talk seems to center with Ford taking a regional approach to reopening businesses. Areas of Ontario where Covid-19 case numbers are decreasing would slowly

A coulda shoulda woulda reflection on COVID-19 one year later

 Ten months ago, the dire impact and consequences of COVID-19 were just starting to take root in Canada and around the world. Back then we knew much less about the deadly virus than we know now, and the idea of a vaccine seemed distant at best. Yesterday, the new U.S.

Not all frontline health workers who need priority vaccination are doctors and nurses

 By Irving Gold Canadians breathed a huge sigh of relief when the federal government approved the first COVID-19 vaccine and saw the first immunizations take place. The end of the pandemic and the prospect of a return to normal, whatever that means, became a real possibility. Rolling out a national

Don’t you forget about PWD

 By now, most people have heard or watched what happened last week in the US. Meanwhile, here on the local front, Covid-19 numbers continue to rise, and Quebec has implemented a curfew to lower the case numbers. I admit that I don’t understand how a curfew is going to improve

Love and hope in a time of COVID

 By Marc Kealey Last year, 2020,  there was much written and reported about how we ought to comport ourselves during the pandemic. In short, we were advised to be compliant, socially distant, wary of exaggerated or factually incorrect media and social media posts and, for the most part, encouraged to

Stupid is, as stupid does—Meet Ontario Finance Minister Rod Philips

 Alright, the Christmas spirit is officially done. Let’s get back to bitching. December 29th brought Ontarians two extreme examples on the leadership scale spectrum. Both should be given serious scrutiny by Ontarians – especially those who played by the rules and missed out on spending the holidays with their families.

Washington’s changing of the guard

 As Washington — and the world — prepare to welcome President-Elect Biden, expectations are sky high. Every new president brings fresh hope and promise. But following four years of what many would regard as the most dysfunctional administration in history, the level of anticipation may be unprecedented. We must all

Despite current bi-lateral tensions China and Canada both agree on the need for multilateralism in a post-Covid-19 world

 Ottawa Life Magazine has been publishing a Canada-China Series since 2013. The series focuses on bi-lateral interests, business affairs, people-to-people relations, Chinese culture and the Chinese diaspora in Canada. Since 2018 there has been tension in the Canada Chinese political relationship. Ottawa Life Magazine has continued and will continue to publish

China’s President Xi and German Chancellor Merkel call for cooperation on COVID-19 vaccines as Canada fumbles

 Ottawa Life Magazine has been publishing a Canada-China Series since 2013. The series focuses on bi-lateral interests, business affairs, people-to-people relations, Chinese culture and the Chinese diaspora in Canada. Since 2018 there has been tension in the Canada Chinese political relationship. Ottawa Life Magazine has continued and will continue to publish

A month later and Jason Kenney is still trying to kill us

 We have officially reached the point where I don’t understand what’s going on in Jason Kenney’s head. To be clear, I used to understand and largely disagree with most of what was in the Premier’s head. Now I just plain don’t understand. Emerging after basically being on the milk carton for

Two vital federal health commitments must not be left unfinished

 By Tom Warshawski and Manuel Arango In 1822, Franz Schubert wrote the first two movements of his 8th Symphony. He never completed the additional two movements that would make it complete. One theory is that he was faced with competing projects, so we know it today as the “Unfinished Symphony.”