On May 17th Fight Homophobia
Homophobia is becoming increasingly present on the Web and in social media. The anonymity of the Internet facilitates the spread of abusive comments and cyberhomophobia that could have serious consequences.
A Health Emergency Preparedness Forum on May 9, 2013 celebrated Emergency Preparedness week and provided an opportunity to release the draft Health Emergency Plan for Priority Populations to the new network. Ottawa Public Health and partners within the network gathered to review and provide feedback on the plan, learn more about emergency management strategies, meet new partners and share resources.
Meet Heather. She is a mother to two sons and a daughter, a water polo coach for the University of Ottawa women’s GeeGee’s, an inductee into Ottawa’s Sports Hall of Fame and a health promotion project officer at Ottawa Public Health. Heather has a wide knowledge and experience in promoting physical activity to people of all ages. Seven years ago, she returned from a trip to New Zealand with a new appreciation and love for walking. Heather sat down with us to share her thoughts and passion about walking.
Ottawa Public Health and community partners were at l’Hôpital Montfort today to unveil the new city-wide A1Secure child passenger safety campaign. Deputy Mayor Steve Desroches; Dr. Isra Levy, Ottawa’s Medical Officer of Health; Mrs. Lucille Perreault, vice-president, Clinical Services, Hôpital Montfort; Josée Bessette, regional planner, Ontario Ministry of Transportation; and Inspector Murray Knowles, Ottawa Police Service all participated in the event.
This spring, we asked Ottawa youth to take photos in their community of important health issues that mattered to them. – we asked, and youth answered. We received 187 entries!
The photos covered a variety of health topics, including; active transportation, healthy eating, active living, mental health, substance misuse, the environment and more!
On Monday, May 6th , we announced the winners at the Community Board of Health meeting, where many of the photos were on display. A big congrats goes out to:
- Grand Prize ($500): Eliza Ou, Lisgar Collegiate
- Runner-Up Prizes ($200): Kyle Ward, D.Roy Kennedy and Lia Mason, DA Moodie
- Second Runner-Up prizes ($100) Elizabeth van den Hoef, St.Joseph Catholic High School and Xixi Jin, All Saints Catholic High School
Ottawa Public Health wants to thank all who entered. A picture truly is worth a thousand words!
Find a pair of comfortable, supportive walking shoes and you can be on your journey to better health. Walking at least 150 minutes a week can help:
- lower your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, colon cancer, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis;
- Increase your muscle and bone strength, flexibility and co-ordination;
- Maintain a healthy weight and improve blood cholesterol;
- Improve your mental health, sense of well-being and sleep.
Woodroffe Avenue Public School promotes activities that encourage children to walk or bike to school. “The School Travel Planning (STP) project was a great initiative at our school this year,” said Liz Burgess, a parent of School’s STP committee. Liz says that they have connected with key community groups, such as Green Communities Canada and Ottawa Public Health, and have made changes to improve the safety of students who walk, bike or roll to school. Some of these changes included:
- moving crosswalks
- adding signage
- adjusting traffic signals
The Ottawa Board of Health’s first meeting in a community setting was a success. The meeting on May 6th, which focused on youth involvement in public health programs, was attended by approximately 50 youth and their families. Also in attendance were City Councillors, community partners, many residents of all ages, and members of the Media
The first part of the meeting allowed Board members, community partners, youth and their families to explore a beautiful gallery of photographs submitted for the Photovoice contest. This contest offered youth the opportunity to document their community’s strengths and challenges through photography. Awards were presented to the first, second and third place winners.
The Ottawa Board of Health’s first meeting in a community setting was a success. The meeting on May 6th, which focused on youth involvement in public health programs, was attended by approximately 50 youth and their families.
To see all the Photovoice 2013 photos, visit Ottawa Public Health on Pinterest (otthealthsante)
Imagine yourself in a neighbourhood where you no longer depend on your car for all your trips. Each morning you open your front door and walk your children to their local childcare centre. You greet your neighbours as you continue on your way to the bus stop. You read a new book while riding to work. You’re avoiding the stress of a long commute and traffic congestion.
Walking has become part of your daily routine. Your neighbourhood is a place where you meet people on your way to buy groceries, to have a cup of coffee or to visit the local park. There are benches, shade and pleasant places to sit and relax. The neighbourhood is lively, filled with people outside, enjoying all the area has to offer.
