Items

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  2020-08-06

  Pandemic causing more drowning deaths on open water, say experts

  "A drowning prevention expert says the COVID-19 pandemic and Ottawa's record-hot July have both contributed to shifts in where people are getting into trouble on the water — and it might be time to change safety messaging. There has been a string of recent drownings in Ottawa, and officials say the vast majority of them are occurring in open water, not at backyard swimming pools or supervised beaches." "'That's why we're seeing a lot of river drownings. [It's] because of it being so hot, and accessibility to the pools is restricted,' said Wagg, noting municipal pools can only operate at about one-sixth capacity because of COVID-19 restrictions."
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  04/09/2020

  Refugee advocates beseech bylaw to 'warn and inform' after man handed $880 fine

  Article from CBC News Ottawa relaying an incident in which a young man allowed his siblings to play in a playground not knowing it was out of bounds and received a fine as a result. The article goes on to discuss how misinformation communicated to refugees, and language barriers make them more likely to break covid19 restrictions and be issued fines when they have no malicious intent or are simply ill informed. *Hillary Johnstone, CBC News Ottawa