Joel Harden MPP / Député, Ottawa Centre

Friend,

Wednesday was the International Day to End Violence against Women. In Minto Park, just down the street from Ottawa City Hall, a monument stands that invites us to “envision a world without violence, where women are respected and free”.  

But for residents of Ottawa, this subject is uncomfortable because the Rick Chiarelli saga shames us. It reminds us of how sexual harassment is too often tolerated, and how hard it is to seek accountability against perpetrators. 

Chiarelli has been defiant despite investigations detailing his predatory treatment of office staff. Women have bravely come forward, but Chiarelli stands pat. 

There are no legal means to remove Chiarelli, and he’s lawyered up for a fight. Our City Council can garnish Chiarelli’s salary, but little else. The message that sends to women experiencing workplace sexual harassment is chilling. 

But meanwhile, the City of Ottawa has announced it will evict Alison Trowbridge and 119 other households in Manor Village, a working class community in Nepean. It is doing so as part of its plan to prepare for Stage 3 of Ottawa’s LRT. 

Trowbridge is a single mom on ODSP whose son has special needs. Were she to lose her housing, there are little rental options she could afford in our city. She and her son could be homeless, and add to Ottawa’s housing and homeless emergency that was declared last year. The same is true for the 119 other households in Manor Village facing eviction. 

Demolishing Manor Village will push many women-led, working class families onto the street without any options. It follows the sad legacy of Heron Gate in 2019, when 150 families were evicted from affordable housing to make way for high-priced condos. 

And once again, Ottawa officials insist there’s nothing they can do. I refuse to accept that. 

As we commit to end violence against women, let’s demand more from politics. Let’s insist on changes to the Municipal Act that would remove sexual predators from office. Let’s protect the pockets of affordable housing that exist in our city, and work hard to build more. Let’s properly fund women’s shelters and crisis supports to ensure help exists in times of need. 

Along with my colleagues in the Official Opposition, we will push for more resources to support survivors of gender-based violence, and accountability for those who abuse their positions of power to inflict harm.

My very best,

Auditor General’s Report 

The Auditor General of Ontario released a scathing report this week, which shows that the government’s pandemic response has been plagued by delays and lack of preparedness. Among the many shocking findings, it shows that the government doesn’t have any top leadership roles given to public health officials and testing and tracing has not been happening fast enough to contain the spread - especially in Ottawa which faced the longest wait times for test results in the province at 4.5 days. 

Continued inaction will only put our province into a longer, deeper and more devastating second wave unless this government listens to frontline healthcare workers and experts, and invests the money that is needed. We are all incredibly grateful to our public health workers that keep us safe, and this government must honour their work by equipping them with the funding they need to keep going, not attacking an independent officer of the legislature for doing her job.

You can read key findings of the report here. 

COVID Disproportionately Affecting Racialized People in Ottawa 

Ottawa Public Health and partners released data that shows there are disproportionately high numbers of COVID-19 infections among racialized communities in Ottawa, especially Black communities. According to the data, racialized people make up 29 percent of Ottawa’s population but they make up 63 percent of the COVID cases as of the end of August. Even more disturbing, Black community members make up seven per cent of Ottawa’s population, but 37 per cent of COVID-19 diagnoses.

Many of these communities impacted by COVID are immigrant, working class communities with folks who work in the healthcare sector. These findings echo the calls from Ontario’s data modelling experts this week who identified similar issues in communities across Ontario. The solutions are there: we need to provide adequate housing, put an end to evictions, provide paid sick days and all basic needs to ensure we stop the spread of COVID-19. 

Celebrate the Holidays Safely 

The province is asking that Ontarians celebrate the holidays differently this year, by sticking to your own household when celebrating, avoid planning or hosting large parties and family dinners and following local public health advice. You can read the province’s guidelines here, and Ottawa Public Health’s guidelines here. 

Testing for Students and Staff in Schools 

The province is launching targeting voluntary testing of asymptomatic students and staff in schools in regions across Ontario with high COVID cases. This includes Ottawa, Toronto, Peel and York regions. Students at participating schools can take part in the voluntary COVID-19 testing program if they have consent from a parent or guardian.

Testing will take place for four weeks and will focus mainly on asymptomatic students. Students who have COVID-19 symptoms or have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 should continue to get tested at a COVID-19 testing location. More details are forthcoming. 

ServiceOntario now Appointment Based

To help reduce wait times and manage customer flow, ServiceOntario is now offering online appointment booking at several of its locations, including the Ottawa City Hall location. 

Due to the risks associated with COVID-19, it is strongly recommended that customers continue to access services available online and only book an in-person appointment if necessary. For transactions that need to be completed in-person, appointments can be booked up to two weeks in advance at Ontario.ca/Appointment

Discussion on Housing and Homelessness 

We hosted a very interesting and important discussion this week on housing and homelessness in Ottawa, with special guests Councillor Catherine McKenney, past Ottawa-Centre MPP and Ontario’s Minister of Housing Evelyn Gigantes and Alison Trowbridge. If you missed it, you can watch it on our Youtube here. 

Motion to Condemn Charles McVety Passes 

It was a proud moment this week in the Ontario Legislature when a motion by my colleagues in the Official Opposition condemning Premier Ford’s move to give Charles McVety the right to grant university degrees passed. Many of the government’s members chose to abstain from the vote. 

We will continue to press hard to ensure the will of the legislature isn’t overridden by the government, who could still plow ahead with their McVety bill.    

Supporting Cihan Erdal

Cihan Erdal is a doctoral researcher at Carleton University, and our neighbour in Ottawa-Centre. 

He had recently returned to Turkey to visit family and conduct research when he was arrested and detained by the Turkish government on September 25 along with dozens of other academics and activists and has been imprisoned since. He has been cut off from the outside world and held in solitary confinement.  

Carleton University has contacted Canadian and Turkish officials, trying to get Cihan released. Find out more about his case and how you can support here.   

Friend,

Mercredi était la Journée internationale pour mettre fin à la violence à l'égard des femmes. Dans le parc Minto, juste en bas de la rue de l'hôtel de ville d'Ottawa, se dresse un monument qui nous invite à "imaginer un monde sans violence, où les femmes sont respectées et libres".  

Mais pour les habitants d'Ottawa, ce sujet est inconfortable car la saga de Rick Chiarelli nous fait honte. Elle nous rappelle à quel point le harcèlement sexuel est trop souvent toléré et combien il est difficile de demander des comptes aux personnes violentes. 

Chiarelli a fait preuve de défi malgré les enquêtes détaillant son traitement prédateur du personnel de bureau. Les femmes se sont courageusement manifestées, mais Chiarelli refuse de démissionner.

Il n'y a pas de moyens légaux pour le faire partir, et il a engagé des avocats pour se battre. Notre conseil municipal peut saisir le salaire de Chiarelli, mais guère plus. Le message que cela envoie aux femmes victimes de harcèlement sexuel sur leur lieu de travail est effrayant. 

Mais en attendant, la ville d'Ottawa a annoncé qu'elle allait expulser Alison Trowbridge et 119 autres ménages de Manor Village, une communauté ouvrière de Nepean. Elle le fait dans le cadre de son plan de préparation de la troisième phase du train léger d'Ottawa. 

Alison Trowbridge est une mère célibataire bénéficiant de POSPH et dont le fils a des besoins particuliers. Si elle devait perdre son logement, il y a peu de possibilités de location qu'elle pourrait se permettre dans notre ville. Elle et son fils pourraient se retrouver sans abri, ce qui aggraverait la situation d'urgence d'Ottawa en matière de logement et de sans-abrisme qui a été déclarée l'année dernière. Il en va de même pour les 119 autres ménages de Manor Village qui risquent d'être expulsés. 

La démolition de Manor Village poussera de nombreuses familles ouvrières dirigées par des femmes dans la rue sans aucune option. Elle fait suite au triste héritage de Heron Gate en 2019, lorsque 150 familles ont été expulsées de logements abordables pour faire place à des appartements de luxe. 

Et une fois de plus, les responsables d'Ottawa insistent sur le fait qu'ils ne peuvent rien faire. Je refuse d'accepter cela. 

Alors que nous nous engageons à mettre fin à la violence contre les femmes, exigeons davantage de nos politiciens. Insistons pour que la loi sur les municipalités soit modifiée de manière à éliminer les prédateurs sexuels. Protégeons les logements abordables qui existent dans notre ville, et travaillons dur pour en construire davantage. Finançons correctement les refuges pour femmes et les services de soutien en cas de crise pour garantir que l'aide existe en cas de besoin. 

Avec mes collègues de l'opposition officielle, nous ferons pression pour obtenir davantage de ressources afin de soutenir les survivants de la violence sexiste et pour que ceux qui abusent de leur position de pouvoir pour infliger des dommages soient tenus responsables.

Mes meilleures salutations,