Godwin Ifedi
Editor
Photo by Darren Goldstein/DSG Photo                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Good morning folks 

First off,  our hearts go out to all those in Ottawa and surrounding areas who were impacted by the ferocious tornado that hit the region on Friday 21 September. The national capital has been largely spared of natural disasters, the last one in our memory being the ice storm of 1998. Kudos to the emergency responders and the hundreds of volunteers that heeded the call to help their friends and neighbours in their hour of need. But of course that’s what makes Canada such a wonderful country;  compassion, philanthropy and generosity are the hallmarks of this great nation.

For the October 2018 edition our Top Story is the award of teaching excellence to Professor Nduka Otiono of Carleton University, one of our esteemed community leaders. With Ottawa municipal elections just weeks away, we also bring you profiles of four Black candidates: Dina Epale, Rawlson King, Jide Afolabi, and Fabien Kalala. Black Ottawa Scene wishes all these candidates the very best of luck.

Associate Editor Kika Otiono brings you another interesting piece, this time giving her insights on the evolution of humour. Under People Making a Difference, we bring you news of Rev. Fr. Titus Egbue who recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. Others making the news in this category are the six community leaders inducted into the  City of Ottawa Ottawa Wall of Inspiration, plus the Afro Caribbean Cultural studio which celebrated its first anniversary in its new location, under the leadership of iconic dance tutor Suzan Lavertu.  In her monthly column Building Resilient Careers, Dr. Helen Ofosu warns about the pitfalls of office romances.

All these and more in the October 2018 edition. 

Here is the result of the September 2018 poll: Do you feel Canada should continue the practice of granting automatic citizenship to children born in this country, regardless of whether the parents live in Canada or not?

Yes 77%

No  23%

Thank you to all who voted.

Do remember to vote in the October 2018 poll: Have you ever sent an e-mail which you immediately regretted because it hurt or embarrassed the recipient?

And remember to keep the letters to the Editor flowing;  they help to keep our editorial team on our toes!

All the best.

Godwin Ifedi

Editor