Ottawa parent creates school COVID-19 tracker
Katya Duhamel working on the COVID tracker website. (Supplied)
An Ottawa parent concerned with a lack of COVID-19 data in school has created a website to track cases.
Katya Duhamel is the creator of the Ottawa Covid Tracker. It’s an online tool for parents to self-report COVID-19 symptoms and cases in schools.
“I created it because I really feel that it’s crucial to be able to know if you child has been directly impacted or affected,” she tells CTV News Ottawa.
The mother of a six year-old has a background in data and I.T. and says she created the tracker as a way of sharing information,
“I created a simple tool that parents, educators, guardians can use to go and report if they have a suspected or positive case of COVID.”
The online tool is accessible to anyone here.
Duhamel says that no personal information is submitted, not even the teacher’s name. Parents enter the school, class, cohort, last day at the school attended, and whether the case is suspected or confirmed.
According to the website’s description, “Given that there is no longer public reporting, and that testing capacity is very limited through assessment centers, we have created this website as a temporary way for parents, schools and daycares to share information privately about Covid cases in the community.”
The province is no longer publishing information on COVID-19 in schools, but is sharing data on absences online, whether they are related to COVID-19 or not.
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board will launch a voluntary COVID-19 disclosure process for parents, students and staff later this month.
The Ottawa Catholic School Board says it will still notify families of a positive COVID-19 case in their schools, should they learn of them.
In a letter to families, the OCSB said that, starting Wednesday, if the school becomes aware of a positive COVID-19 test result via a rapid antigen or PCR test, families would be notified.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
School police chief receives blame in Texas shooting response
The police official blamed for not sending officers in more quickly to stop the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting is the chief of the school system's small police force, a unit dedicated ordinarily to building relationships with students and responding to the occasional fight.
Fact check: NRA speakers distort gun and crime statistics
Speakers at the National Rifle Association annual meeting assailed a Chicago gun ban that doesn't exist, ignored security upgrades at the Texas school where children were slaughtered and roundly distorted national gun and crime statistics as they pushed back against any tightening of gun laws.
'Mom, you gotta carry on': 58-year-old Winnipegger inspired to graduate high school by late son
Fifty-eight-year-old Vivian Ketchum is set to receive her high school diploma at a graduation ceremony at the University of Winnipeg next month. It is a moment that is decades in the making.
Truth tracker: Does the World Economic Forum influence governments like Canada’s?
The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos was met with justifiable criticisms and unfounded conspiracy theories.
She smeared blood on herself and played dead: 11-year-old reveals chilling details of the massacre
An 11-year-old survivor of the Robb Elementary School massacre in Uvalde, Texas, feared the gunman would come back for her so she smeared herself in her friend's blood and played dead.
Girl told 911 'send the police now' as cops waited 48 minutes, official says
Students trapped inside a classroom with a gunman repeatedly called 911 during this week's attack on a Texas elementary school, including one who pleaded, 'Please send the police now,' as officers waited more than an hour to breach the classroom after following the gunman into the building, authorities said Friday.
Broken comet could trigger visible meteor shower Monday
Fragments of a comet broken nearly 30 years ago could potentially light up the night sky Monday as experts predict an 'all or nothing' spectacle.
Three Canadian cities rank among the world's best for work-life balance
A new report says Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto rank among the top 20 cities around the world when it comes to work-life balance.
Feds aiming to address airport 'bottlenecks' in time for summer travel season
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says the federal government is working with groups on the ground to resolve air travel 'bottlenecks' in time for a busy summer.
Atlantic
-
Cape Breton teen in hospital after falling nearly 40 feet over cliff in Glace Bay
A Cape Breton father is warning the public of the dangers in the area he lives after his teenager son fell nearly 40 feet over a cliff in Glace Bay.
-
More than 18 hours to find five N.S. mass shooting victims was 'deficient': lawyer
A lawyer for families of victims killed in the Nova Scotia mass shooting says an 18-hour delay in finding five bodies of those murdered is a sign of "deficient" policing.
-
Supreme Court decision could affect Justin Bourque’s sentence: Lawyer
The lawyer who represented a man who murdered three RCMP officers nearly eight years ago in Moncton, N.B., said a decision made by the Supreme Court of Canada Friday may potentially change his sentence.
Toronto
-
WATCH
WATCH | New video appears to show man carrying air rifle on Toronto streets before being killed by police
A man shot dead by police officers near a Toronto elementary school on Thursday afternoon appears to have been captured on home security footage carrying an air rifle moments before the incident.
-
Police investigating suspected hate-motivated incident involving armed man at Jewish school
A 21-year-old Toronto man is facing a slew of charges following a suspected hate-motivated incident at a Jewish school in North York.
-
Here's why you may notice unusual activity around Toronto Pearson Airport this weekend
Toronto Pearson International is warning travellers and Mississauga residents they may notice unusual activity at the airport this weekend.
Montreal
-
Three things most likely to be legally challenged in Bill 96
Is it unconstitutional to make someone pay to get a legal document translated into French? One of Montreal's top lawyers thinks so, and pointed out two other things from Bill 96 that he thinks the courts would most easily find fault with.
-
Supreme Court rules Quebec City mosque killer to be eligible for parole in 25 years
Canada's highest court has ruled that Alexandre Bissonnette, who murdered six people at the Quebec City mosque in 2017, will be eligible for parole after 25 years.
-
Montreal begins monkeypox vaccine campaign, Quebec confirms 25 cases
Quebec says it is ready to vaccinate people who have come into close contact with monkeypox as soon as Friday.
Northern Ontario
-
Sudbury’s Bell Excellence Award winners survived during difficult times
Thursday evening, the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce hosted the 25th annual Bell Business Excellence Awards.
-
Walking in Sudbury to mark the discovery of unmarked graves in B.C.
On Friday, there was a walk in Sudbury to remember the remains of 215 residential schoolchildren found in Kamloops, B.C., a year ago May 27.
-
Sault Métis Centre excited for grand opening
Staff at the new Sault Metis Centre are getting set for the grand opening Saturday.
London
-
Two EF-1 tornadoes hit London during weekend thunderstorm
Saturday’s powerful storm left a lasting impact across Ontario as city crews continue to deal with the damage. Western University’s Northern Tornado Project reported that two EF-1 tornadoes touched down in London — and on Friday, Environment Canada confirmed it.
-
London man facing impaired driving charges after SUV collides with gravel truck
A London man is facing impaired-related charges after a vehicle he was driving collided with a gravel truck on Wednesday morning, according to police.
-
LPS seeking public's assistance after gun fired in downtown London overnight
The London Police Service is requesting the public’s help with locating a person of interest after a gun was fired on Richmond Row in the early morning hours of Friday.
Winnipeg
-
Students at Winnipeg school find body during community cleanup: Pembina Trails School Division
Pembina Trails School Division is confirming to CTV News that a group of students found a body during community cleanup at Ècole South Pointe School.
-
47-year-old man killed in Dugald Road crash: Winnipeg police
Winnipeg police are telling people to find an alternate route this afternoon as they are investigating a fatal crash near the St. Boniface Industrial Park.
-
'It's one way to be creative': Winnipeg student wants to be a bartender when older; school doesn't like comment in yearbook
Bartender. That is what one Grade 4 student said for the yearbook when asked what he wanted to be when he grows up, an answer the school is asking him to change.
Kitchener
-
Guelph high school volleyball referee facing multiple sex assault charges
A man, who was a referee at high school volleyball games in Guelph for more than 30 years, is facing sex assault-related charges.
-
Region says high safety risk at Kitchener encampment, residents will have to move
The Region of Waterloo says there's a high safety risk at a Kitchener encampment and they are working with residents to prepare them for their eventual move.
-
Swoop says it can't offer flights from Region of Waterloo airport due to deal with Flair
Two low-cost airlines are butting heads over an agreement at the Region of Waterloo International Airport. Swoop wants to offer flights but the airport already has an exclusivity deal with rival Flair Airlines
Calgary
-
'Grave injustice': SCC ruling could change sentence for Alberta's multiple murderers
A southern Alberta man who killed three people, including a two-year-old girl, could have the ability to request a release from jail earlier than his original sentence intended, thanks to a landmark Supreme Court decision Friday.
-
'No way we're cheering for the Oilers': Flames fans react to Game 5 loss
Calgary Flames fans are still coming to terms with a playoff series loss to the Edmonton Oilers Thursday night in a game that saw both controversy and heartbreak following a Connor McDavid overtime goal.
-
Canada's premiers want to reform health-care system, asks Ottawa to pick up the phone
Western Canada's premiers want to reform their health-care systems by expanding services but they say Ottawa first needs to pick up the phone.
Saskatoon
-
Saskatoon man says three dogs ‘tried to kill his dog’ at off-leash dog park
Barrett Ross says his dog Indy suffered a punctured bowel, lost a tooth and had his stomach injured when he was attacked by three other dogs.
-
Saskatoon's temporary downtown shelter granted extension
The Saskatoon Tribal Council's (STC) temporary downtown shelter has been granted an extension to operate at its present location until April 2023 — but Tribal Chief Mark Arcand hopes to relocate well before then.
-
Prince Albert police lay murder charge after pedestrian fatally injured by vehicle
A pedestrian injured by a vehicle in Prince Albert has died.
Edmonton
-
UCP accused of sending warning to Edmonton councillors as EPS funding decision delayed
A hotly-controversial decision on whether or not to freeze base funding for police in Edmonton was delayed Friday as fallout from a dispute between the mayor and the provincial justice minister continued to rattle political circles.
-
Shooting near Rogers Place playoff party witnessed by EPS officers
A 19-year-old man is in police custody after a shooting near Rogers Place after an Edmonton Oilers viewing party ended Thursday evening.
-
Wetaskiwin temporary shelter to close ahead of schedule leaving some in a lurch
A shelter many expected to remain open until the end of June in Wetaskiwin, Alta., will close a month early.
Vancouver
-
After years waiting for surgery, B.C. woman considering medically assisted death
A B.C. mom with a rare, debilitating illness has spent years trying to get the help she needs. Now she's considering medical assistance in dying.
-
Interior, Island and North led B.C.'s decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations this week
The number of COVID-19 patients in B.C. hospitals hit its lowest point in more than a month this week, and the decline was driven largely by regions outside the Lower Mainland.
-
Small Vancouver startup believes it's created the solution to plastic pollution
Researchers working in partnership with UBC believe an eco-friendly material could help solve the world’s plastic pollution problem.
Regina
-
Regina Public Schools remain offline, cyber attack confirmed
Cyber security attacks happen every day, and as Regina Public Schools division discovered this week, no one is safe.
-
'Very upset': Senior housing residents plead for Sask. Housing Corporation to rebuild after winter fire
Former residents of a Carievale seniors housing complex want the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation (SHC) to reconsider its decision to demolish the home.
-
Western Premiers' Conference focuses on healthcare funding from Ottawa
Premiers from western Canada met to discuss healthcare in their first face-to-face meeting in more than two years in Regina on Friday at the 2022 Western Premiers' Conference.