Editor
Photo by Darren Goldstein/DSG Photo.
Wednesday 1 January 2025
Good morning folks
Happy New Year and greetings to you and your loved ones. The past year has been an eventful one and we reminisce on what mattered to us and our readers these past twelve months. first and foremost was the marking of our eleventh year of publication, an important milestone in what had started on a shaky footing back in October 2023. Even more remarkable is the fact that our continuity has been driven largely by our dedicated group of volunteer reporters, feature writers, photographers, web support and more, twenty-six at the last count. At the very top are our longest contributors: our iconic webmaster, Elom Tsiagbey, who taught me all I needed to know about desk-top publishing; our star reporter and videographer, Joy Osigawu, whose sudden death in November 2024, has left all of us shaken and unbelieving; and our feature writer and analyst extraordinaire, Professor Kwaku Kusi-Appiah. To them and all those who have supported our community news magazine, we say a great big THANK YOU. We could not have done it without you!
As we enter the year 2025, we, like most Canadians, would want the next twelve months to be much better than 2024, with the various levels of government developing innovative strategies to improve employment opportunities, reduce homelessness and bring the cost of living back to manageable levels. With these in mind, the opening of a new employment centre in Orleans by the National Capital YMCA is welcome news and is fittingly our Top Story for this month.
With winter predictably increasing in its intensity, the two articles by Ottawa Public Health: “Preventing Falls” and “Winter Emergency Preparedness”, are timely reminders on staying safe for everyone, but especially our vulnerable seniors.
The inquest on the tragic death of Abdirahman Abdi in 2016, after an encounter with two Ottawa Police officers inevitably draws a lot of attention, and we bring our readers three topical pieces on this subject: the full inquest report; the response by the Ottawa Police Service; and an insightful analysis by Professor Kwaku Kusi-Appiah, a must-read for all our readers.
The loss of a loved one brings out the innermost of heartfelt emotions, and Professor Nduka Otiono shares his, with a tribute to his late mother, Mama Ezinne Uzorkwai Otiono: “To Mother, A Garland of Honours”.
On a happier note, we bring you news of Elder Isoline Hazel Gray who celebrated her 100th birthday in December 2024. Happy tidings to our city’s newest centenarian!
All these and more in the January 2025 edition of your favourite news magazine.
Here is the result of the December 2024 poll: Do you support the city’s plan to build temporary structures to house refugees in Ottawa? Yes 100% No 0% . Thank you to all who voted. Remember to vote in the January 2025 poll: Do you feel confident that 2025 will be a better year than 2024 for Canadians, regarding employment, homelessness and cost of living?
Also remember to keep the letters to the Editor flowing; they keep our editorial team on our toes and motivate us to strive to serve you better.
Wishing you and your loved ones a happy, peaceful and blessed year.
Godwin Ifedi, Editor