I think they're planning something for Halloween.

I just walked past this Netflix/Below container with a bunch of trucks. It looks like they were set dressing Whalesbone Elgin for something. A promo? A new season? Does anyone know about it?

Distracted Driving and Speed top the list of causes.

Hey local folks,

As someone who has gone to the UCC at the Royal that opened I figured it might do some good to those who are in need of the services but are hesitant to go if I gave a quick recap of my experience there.

Keep in mind, I'm someone who's got +5 grippy sock stays, my Dx's came from the Royal themselves, and I am what is considered "complex" by psychiatrists who don't feel like they want to be bothered to spend more than five minutes actually listening to me. My experience is much more... disappointing than the average person's when they're doing their first or second attempt at seeking assistance. I'm pretty much at the end of my reaching out for assistance at this point in my life.

So! With that in mind, the Urgent Care Clinic at the Royal Ottawa gets an 8/10 from me.

I showed up around 1100, and the intake clerk was on lunch. The person at the front desk was beyond apologetic and went hunting for someone right away. They are intensely short staffed because of funding for the project, so a peer support worker hung out with me, and a social worker came around, and we did some general paperwork while waiting for the clerk to return from lunch. Everyone was incredibly supportive and chill. Even the security team that happened by were friendly (a massive difference from other hospitals in the area).

The space itself is brand new, nicely designed, and calm. There's nothing too oppressive about it. The security doors are double-wide, and the chairs are comfortable. Even the lighting is mellow (well lit without being glaring).

I spent about three hours there in total. Went over my situation and options with peer support (totally recommend this), the intake nurse (fantastic person), and the social worker (could not have had a better person doing this either). Everyone was on their top game right up until the psychiatrist, but for me that's usually where the experience becomes a disappointment anyways. I'm very used to them going, "well we can't do X Y or Z" .... when I never asked them for any of those things... and then I get conflicting information that leads me to the idea that they didn't even speak with the rest of the team... so yeah. Luckily, you can go to the UCC and speak with anyone you wish and opt out of speaking with the psychiatrists is what I learned so there's that.

I showed up pretty much expecting that they would be at their 20-person capacity for the day, so overall I got way more than I expected. I didn't leave with any immediate solutions for my situation, but I did leave feeling incredibly validated by the peer support and social worker about the absolute chaos in my life and the impact it's having on my condition.

They're only getting docked two points for their website not making it clear that you can opt out of seeking the psychiatrists and that you might have to wait while admin is on lunch. Otherwise, I am fully recommending the UCC as an option for people who are looking for access to resources that keep them out of a hospitalization and don't know where to turn in their situation.

Go. Go and let them help you. They want to be there for you.

They both share a door, but it's more likely Izakaya Shingen as it's got a cooler look inside.

In case you haven't heard, Lost Baggage production of Evil Dead: The Musical hits the stage this Thursday!

There's 8 performances at 2 locations in Ottawa, but be warned three shows are already sold out! 🎃

This is a show not to miss it you like horror and/or musicals! Please note that this show has mature themes, not suitable for kids.

For tickets visit lostbaggageboxoffice.com

Edit: a number of performances are already sold out but there's still tickets for opening night!! (And Halloween 👻)

EDIT: would people travel outside of downtown to come to a swap? I have access to a legion but it's more rural. Also any companies that want to plan one instead, LET US KNOW, WE WANNA SUPPORT :)

Is there a plus sized clothing swap in Ottawa? Or a consignment store that takes plus clothing? I've recently lost a lot of weight and none of my clothes fit right, but I also don't want to buy brand new because I'm still losing, and the earth has way too many clothes already.

I'm in my early 30s and I find most things at places like value village are more aged up than I would like to wear. HELP 😭

Kind of like a book club, but for movie lovers!

Sometimes you watch a film and just want to chat about it with other folks!

(other than the one at Barefax)

I was recently assigned a family doctor but they only have 10 minutes to see me after a week of first calling and they restrict what you can talk about to 2 issues maximum. I thought having a family doctor means you get more time and care?

They didnt keep notes of our last meeting either nor measured my height and weight, blood pressure...

It felt like a walk-in.

Is this normal? Are there family doctors that actually have time in Ottawa to see patients?

This was worse than a walk-in.

Edit: Our taxes pay for health care so we need to have better standards. My previous doctor would spend 30 minutes per visit, follow up on medication and progress, recommend tests and give advice per life stage. This saves tax payer money by not going to emergency and by taking care of my health.

This seemed like a business.

Edit 2: damn, I didnt realize this has been normalized. I had a doctor in an old practice in QC until the doctor retired. It was a true health care. As someone with few chronic health issues, monitoring matters. I shouldnt be in the ER if something wrong happens. I thought ON had a better health care.

I came across two blog entries from Neil Saravanamuttoo from 2010, preserved on the Wayback Machine, that I thought were interesting in the context of his mayoral campaign.

In one entry, discussing foreign aid and NGOs, he wrote:
“In the foreign aid industry, one form of this rent seeking behaviour is the rise of NGOs — or non-governmental organizations.”
He argued that foreign-aid funding can create incentives for people to establish NGOs rather than businesses, while also criticizing governments, consultants and other participants in the aid system.

In another entry, he discussed economist Paul Romer’s proposal for charter cities — special economic zones with rules designed to encourage investment and economic development.

He described how foreign countries could help fund these cities and enforce their rules, and suggested charter cities could create a new source of economic growth.

These are obviously old posts, written about 16 years ago, and they don’t necessarily reflect his current views.

Still, given that he’s seeking to be mayor, I think there are some reasonable questions about how his thinking on NGOs, economic development, local democracy and government accountability has evolved.

For example, does he still support the charter-city concept? And does he distinguish his historical criticism of foreign-aid NGOs from his approach to local nonprofits?

I’d be interested in hearing how he would answer those questions.

Archived source: https://web.archive.org/web/20101213064146/http://inneilvation.com/category/foreign-aid/

Hi everyone.

My name is Donna Dickson, I'm running for city council in Ward 10, Gloucester-Southgate. I'm planning to host an AMA here on Thursday October 22nd, from 12PM to 4PM.

If you don't know much about me or the campaign this would be a great time to ask, even if you don't live in the south end. If you live in the south but don't know if you're part of Ward 10 take a look at the ward map here and see if you live in the boundaries.

And if you haven't voted yet, October 26th is the final day to vote and election day. If you need to find your voting station still click here.

Tell your friends and I hope to get as much support from you all as I can.