Good evening Kanata North,
I hope you all enjoyed the weekend. As we enter the third week of staying home as much as possible, I can’t stress the importance of continuing to practice physical distancing. Thank you for doing your part to slow the spread by staying at home. We will get through this.
Kanata North Update
- This morning, the Ottawa Police responded to 3 separate but related incidents in Kanata involving an armed suspect. Please remember to lock your doors at all times, and if you see anything suspicious, please call 911. You can find more information about this incident here.
- Unfortunately, with the current situation, scammers are trying to take advantage of individuals by calling or sending emails asking for money and other personal information. Please practice heightened diligence when opening emails. Do not open attachments or links from senders that you do not know, and never send money to someone you do not know. More details are available from the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
- Please continue to reach out if you need assistance. Your Kanata North neighbours are here to help with groceries, medication pick-ups, or walking your pet while you stay home. If you need assistance, please sign up here.
- After positive feedback from my last Facebook Live video, a Virtual Civics Class, I have planned to stream another one. This one will interest adults and kids alike. Grab your kids and join Jaime Petten, the Executive Director for the Kanata North Business Association, and myself on Facebook Live on Wednesday, April 1st at 1 p.m. to discuss the organization she leads, what’s happening in our technology park, and how you can help support local small businesses during these difficult times. We will be taking your questions, so be sure to comment! If you are unable to join us at that time or don’t have Facebook, the video will also be available on my website.
- Local Kanata North company Gilmore Global has printed 5,000 park closure signs for our Ottawa parks. Many thanks for your efforts! These are badly needed. You can expect to see the signs up soon in the over 2,000 parks across the city.
City of Ottawa Update:
The city provided the following updates today:
- The situation remains very serious. Ottawa Public Health reported that there are 130 confirmed cases and now two deaths. 21 of those cases are currently hospitalized and six of them are in intensive care units. If we fail to do our part and practice physical distancing and self-isolation when required, this number will continue to rise uncontrollably.
- The city has now implemented an interim property tax payment grace period and a new 2020 Property Tax Hardship Deferral Plan to help many residents and businesses who are financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The application form, as well as other qualifying criteria and program information, is available on ottawa.ca/taxrelief.
- The Province has given By-Law officers the power to help Ottawa Police in enforcing the emergency public health measures it has enacted. This means that a team of officers at By-law and Regulatory Services has been created to proactively monitor gatherings of five or more people. Residents are encouraged to call 3-1-1 should they witness any of the following:
- Gatherings of five or more individuals.
- People congregating in parks or using park facilities or equipment.
- Restaurants that continue to offer dine in services.
- Non-essential retail businesses that are continuing to operate.
- By-law Officers will be taking a progressive enforcement approach; with the initial goal to educate residents and businesses about these laws and their importance to public health. As time goes on, failure to comply could result in fines of up to $100,000 for individuals, $500,000 for a director of a corporation or $10 million for a corporation itself.
- The City of Ottawa now has an agreement with the University of Ottawa to lease space as an isolation area for families who are homeless or women who are facing violence. The former student residence is no longer used by the university. City staff are working on attaining the appropriate furniture and anticipate the rooms to be ready in the coming weeks. This facility would be used for those who need to self- isolate, are symptomatic, or have tested positive for COVID-19. Referrals to the building are made by the city’s Family Shelter Off-site Services, which can be accessed through 3-1-1.
Province of Ontario Update
Today, the Provincial Government announced the following measures:
- The Government of Ontario has launched a new dedicated webpage regarding the status of COVID-19. The public information page will change how cases are being reported to provide a more relevant summary of data from Public Health Ontario that offers expanded information every day at 10:30 a.m. The new summary will provide more provincial and regional data on confirmed cases, including trends of cases since the outbreak began, geography, exposure, and severity.
- The Chief Medical Officer of Health is strongly urging those over the age of 70 or those with compromised immune systems or underlying medical conditions to stay at home. I know this is difficult and presents challenges to our community. However, our community is here to help you. You can sign up for help here.
- The Province is doubling its initial commitment to help community organizations by investing $10 million. This will help community organizations with the coordination of subsidized deliveries of meals, medicines, and other necessities for seniors.
- The Provincial Government is working with grocers and pharmacists to prioritize seniors’ delivery of orders and establish senior-only shopping hours. I know many of you have been suggesting this idea and I hope further progress can be made.
- An emergency order was issued today to further ensure that staffing and resources are available to help care for and protect long-term care residents. The order would provide further flexibility and allow homes to redirect their staffing and financial resources to essential tasks.
Federal Government update:
Today the Prime Minister provided the following updates:
- Over the past few weeks, the Canadian Armed Forces have been gearing up to support our efforts and our communities as we fight COVID-19. Our women and men in uniform have always been there for Canadians in their time of need and this pandemic is no exception.
- To help employers keep people on the payroll, the Federal Government announced that they would subsidize up to 75% of wages for qualifying businesses.
- If your business’s revenues have decreased by at least 30% because of COVID-19, you’ll be eligible for the Canada Emergency Wage subsidy. The number of employees you have will not determine if you get this support. It will also apply to non-profit organizations and charities, as well companies both big and small. This is about making sure people are still getting paid whether they work for a business that employs 10 people or 1,000 people.
- If you work for a company that has been impacted by COVID-19, the government will cover up to 75% of your salary on the first $58,700 that you earn. That means up to $847 a week. This will be backdated to March 15, 2020.
I want to take a moment to thank all our health care providers, essential workers and first responders. While so many of us are staying safely at home, it is these brave women and men who are working tirelessly to help all of us. They are the heroes. My sincerest thank you to each and every one of them.
Stay home Kanata North.
Stay healthy.
Reach out if you need anything.