As predicted, the Ottawa Mission was busy this past Thanksgiving, and its meal-serving ritual broke records on Monday. Almost 20,000 meals were served to the community this year, involving 8500 pounds of turkey, 3500 pounds of peeled potatoes and 2000 pounds of glazed fresh carrots, among other ingredients for the Mission’s servings of Thanksgiving dinner. Alongside the hospitality and camaraderie at the downtown flagship shelter, the Mission’s mobile meal unit was out and about serving another 3000 meals across 42 different stops, as noted by CEO Peter Tilley, in an effort to support and bring a sense of community to the homeless and financially struggling in the city.
Ottawa Police were busy this past weekend tending to two separate fatal crashes. The first occurred on Saturday evening at around 9:30 pm in the east end, which involved a motorcycle and an SUV. The motorcyclist was declared dead on scene by the OPS while the SUV driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries. Not long after, the second collision took place early Sunday morning in Kanata. It was a single-vehicle crash, and the driver, who was the lone occupant, succumbed to his injuries after being rushed to hospital. The Fatal Collision Investigation Unit continues to look into both incidents and still has an open call for witnesses and relevant details that may be known regarding each incident.
Tensions are on the rise between two Centretown institutions following concerns regarding child safety and rowdiness – sometimes related to illegal drug activity. Centre 507, a drop-in centre for those in need, is situated within walking distance from nearby Glashan Public School, where kids from the latter have complained about aggressive behaviour coming from clients of the former. Executive director Richard Leblanc said that his centre is one of the only locations all across Ottawa, causing the client base to become heavily concentrated in Centretown – a situation that has “absolutely gotten worse.” Various stakeholders are continuing to search for answers to the complex relationship between Centre 507 and its surrounding neighbourhood.
