City reopens respite centre for homeless in Hintonburg
The city has reopened a temporary overnight shelter in Hintonburg for people experiencing homelessness amid increased demand for community shelters.
The physical distancing centre at Tom Brown Arena will offer 70 beds during the evening and offer respite services during the day, according to a city memo.
The centre first opened last winter and has been continuously operating as a respite centre during the day for people who need it.
The memo said it’s being reopened temporarily as a shelter “given the current situation, where community shelters are in outbreak status, and to help address various challenges.”
The surging Omicron variant of COVID-19 and the arrival of cold weather has led to increased demand for shelter space in Ottawa. Staffing limitations are exacerbating the problem.
The city says shelters are continuing to accept new referrals to bed, and positive COVID-19 cases will be monitored “in place” due to the high transmission rate.
Cases that need more medical attention will be referred to the Routhier Isolation Centre in Lowertown.
Ottawa Public Health estimates about 80 per cent of the city's population experiencinghomelessness is vaccinated, but this number fluctuates as people come in and out of homelessness.
The physical distancing centre for men at 75 Nicholas Street remains open. And the city is still operating the Dempsey Community Centre on Russell Road as a temporary physical distancing centre for women.
The Heron Road physical distancing centre for women, run by Cornerstone Housing for Women, is moving back to its O’Connor Street this month following renovations.
The Centretown shelter was closed for 13 months due to the construction. In December 2020, Cornerstone moved to the Friel Physical Distancing Centre, a University of Ottawa residence.
In June 2021, it then moved to its location on Alta Vista.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.
Testifying in hush money trial, adult film actor Stormy Daniels describes first meeting Trump
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential election 10 years later.
MPs agree Canadian gov't should improve new disability benefit
The federal government needs to safeguard the incoming Canada Disability Benefit from clawbacks and do more to ensure it actually meets the stated aim of lifting people living with disabilities out of poverty, MPs from all parties agree.
King Charles too busy to see son Prince Harry during U.K. trip
Prince Harry will not be seeing his father King Charles during his current visit to Britain as the monarch will be too busy, Harry's spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Trudeau's handling of Poilievre's 'wacko' House turfing a clear sign of Liberal desperation
When Speaker Greg Fergus tossed out Pierre Poilievre from the House last week, "those of us who have experience as parliamentarians simply couldn't believe our eyes," writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca
Security guard shot, seriously injured outside of Drake's Toronto mansion
A security guard working at Drake’s Bridle Path mansion in Toronto was seriously injured in a shooting outside the residence early Tuesday morning, police said.
Katy Perry's mom was fooled by AI images of the singer at the Met Gala
Katy Perry did not attend the Met Gala on Monday, but some of the singer’s fans – and even her mom – thought she did.