The Most Exciting Things To Do On Your First Trip To Ontario

 The Canadian province of Ontario is one of the most popular destinations among travelers. Canada itself is said to be one of the finest places to live on the planet, so it's always a pretty good place to visit.  Ontario is situated right along the border separating Canada and the

Democracy Watch challenges Ontario Integrity Commissioner over Premier Ford’s violation of ethics rules

 OTTAWA – Today, Democracy Watch released the application it has filed in Ontario Divisional Court challenging Ontario Integrity Commissioner David Wake’s refusal to issue a public ruling on Premier Ford’s Chief of Staff Dean French (and possibly other Ford staff) providing preferential treatment to Ford’s friend Ron Taverner, and also to Mario

Ontario likely has enough doctors – if we make better use of our other health workers

 Does Ontario have enough doctors?  This question may have a surprising answer for some: yes, we may have enough doctors.  How is this possible when many don’t have a doctor or wait days, weeks or even months for a medical appointment?  We have more doctors than ever before, but many

Daalder Leisure Cabins: The Best Kind of Cabin Fever

 Cottage life could be called a Canadian institution. Summers spent in a cozy cabin with friends and family making memories to last a lifetime are practically a national pastime. But what if you could bring that kind of outdoor entertainment to your very own home? Arie Daalder, founder and owner

The Front Lines of Ontario’s Battle to Protect the Right to Free Speech

 The room was full in the basement of the Ottawa Public Library on Metcalfe Street. People of all ages sat in the auditorium waiting for the guests to arrive. There were four speakers scheduled to speak at the Humanist Association of Ottawa panel discussion. However, it was clear that nearly

When the Government Says It’s Ok, How Do Parents Say No?

 “Just say no!” That was the rallying cry for teens in the 1980’s. Day after day, week after week, we were told how dangerous drugs were for us. In my first year of high school, a very tall and formidable police officer came into our classroom one day, carrying a

NO SHAME: The Desperate Wynne Government Is Now Making Stuff Up on Doug Ford

 Photo credits: Wiki Commons We get a lot of news releases and information every day at Ottawa Life Magazine from all the political parties. Usually the information relates to a particular party position or issue they are advocating on behalf of or is a press release slamming something the government

Citizens Demand Provincial Government Tackle Mental Health

 By Yasmine Ghania The Provincial Government is not doing enough for mental health. At a town hall in Ottawa, over a dozen citizens spoke about the insufficient funding and poor access to mental health services that they have experienced in the province. Photo by Yasmine Ghania The keynote speaker for this

Risk of a fentanyl overdose rising in Ontario

 The opioid crisis is affecting people of all ages, right across the province. Opioid overdoses and deaths have been steadily rising over the last 10 years. In 2016 alone, more than 850 Ontarians died from opioid-related causes. Adding to the concern is a large increase in the presence of synthetic fentanyl

What a $14 Minimum Wage Means for Canadians

 Ontario will soon experience a rise in minimum wage from $11.60 to $14 per hour due to legislation introduced by Premier Kathleen Wynne. Hitting this record high on January 1st, it will rise up to $15 by 2019. The rise in wages per hour at first seems quite beneficial to low income earners and

Provinces must act to prevent another OxyContin debacle

 By Vanessa Gruben and Louise Bélanger-Hardy This past week, 10 provincial governments have accepted a class-action settlement with Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin.  The settlement concerns the misleading claims Purdue Pharma allegedly made to physicians about the addictive nature of the drug. These claims may have contributed to Canada’s

Putting patients first can save our health system

 By: Kapil Khimdas and Danyaal Raza  It’s no secret: Ontario is getting older. The number of seniors in our province has been steadily increasing and over the next twenty years, will double.  Including factors like increased use of health services and evolving technology, this will result in a substantial increase

One in six Ontarians left behind in healthcare reforms

 Urban, poor and new immigrants less likely to get high quality care By Tara Kiran Primary care is considered the front door to our health care system. Whether you’re going for a general check-up or have just been diagnosed with cancer, your family doctor makes sure you get the tests,

A Way Forward for Ontario’s Doctors

 Just over a week ago, 31 doctors proposed five principles to provide a way forward for negotiations between Ontario’s doctors and the provincial government.  That number has quickly grown to over 400 doctors signing on to the document in hopes of delivering a way out of the recent bargaining impasse.

Ottawa Needs To Think About the Odawas

 Illustration: Shooting the Rapids by Frances Hopkins (1879) Official Ottawa is struggling to define a new era of relations with our founding nations almost indifferent to the central role they played in the exploration and opening up the continent to trade. In fact, the very savvy Odawa peoples based in

When is Police Use of Force Justified?

 I am a seventh generation Black Canadian. I was also a police officer for 36 years. I have worked in a city, rural, and federal environment. The growth of the Black Lives Matter movement has come out of the lack of information, accountability, and racist behavior by some individual police officers.

Ontario Offers Free Legal Advice for Survivors of Sexual Assault

 One in three women and one in six men experience some form of sexual assault in their lives. Knowing that this is a struggle many Canadians endure, the Ontario government has come up with a way to help survivors take their first steps forward in the aftermath of assault. Ontario

Ombudsman Calls For Less Force in Police Training

 Paul Dubé, Ontario’s ombudsman, opened his press conference yesterday by stating that the way police are trained to handle the mentally ill and people in crisis should no longer be a matter of academic debate; rather it is quite literally a matter of life and death. A Matter of Life

Perth’s World Record Kilt Run

 Nowhere is the past more present than in Perth, Ontario. The little town just outside of Ottawa is now in its 200th year, and celebrations recognizing its long history in Canada are in full swing. And nothing stands out more than Perth’s World Record Kilt Run. Originally envisioned by Terry

Inner City Children’s Vision Is Being Left Behind

 Why Ontario needs a universal vision screening program for preschool children By Anand Bery and Wynn Peterson We can remember many of them, leaning forward, almost off their tiny kindergarten-sized chairs, squinting with one eye to try and make out a rather large 'H’ or ‘O’ on a chart across

Celebrating Tomlinson’s New Waste-Recovery Centre in Carp

 Tomlinson celebrated the opening of their new waste-recovery centre last Saturday on June 11. What may have seemed like just another rainy weekend to many, actually marks the opening of an important addition to Ontario's waste system. The Canadian infrastructure and environmental services organization officially opened their Carp centre in May,

An Innovative Canada-China Partnership with Grandview PRC

 canada-china friendship series by Samantha Lapierre Founded in 2012, Grandview PRC is an Ontario-based company that promotes trade, investment and project cooperation opportunities between Canadian companies and Chinese partners. In a few short years, Grandview has accomplished a lot and in the process has caught the eye and backing of

Health Reform in Ontario Must Include Oral Health

 A healthy mouth is part of a healthy life. The Ontario government’s proposed reform of the provincial health care system is going forward with a glaring omission: primary mouth care. To make this reform truly "Patients First," Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long Term Care, must include primary

The Lost Turks of Brantford, Ontario

 The internment of Turkish Canadians took place during the First World War.  In 1890s Brantford, Ontario was the third largest industrial city in Canada, after Montreal and Toronto. Known as the "Birmingham of Canada," it was a major centre of the new tractor and auto industries including Massey-Harris, (later Massey-Ferguson). A Brantford

Pour A Cold One: CRAFT Beer Market Opens in Lansdowne Park

 Photo courtesy of Alexandra Gunn. Could it be a coincidence that CRAFT Beer Market opens its doors on one of the hotter days this spring? Likely, but there couldn’t be a better excuse to head to Lansdowne Park to taste test one (or two) of their 100 plus beers on