Connecting Ottawa Communique
Connecting Ottawa Communique
October 13, 2021
We are pleased to provide this information for front-line workers to support the information and referral needs of clients. Please feel free to share this email widely among your networks.
Upcoming Information Sessions:
Mark your calendars for these important sessions:
** Today ** COVID-19 Vaccination & Employment** Today **
Date: Wednesday, October 13, 2021Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noonSpeaker: Luke Prior, Prior Law and the Ottawa Pro Bono Employment Legal Clinic
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86473526098?pwd=OEpSTFVGeGJMZjJkYVZYaG5vTUFydz09
Meeting ID: 864 7352 6098
Passcode: 169525
The End of Canada’s Recovery Benefits
Date: Tuesday, October 19, 2021Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noonSpeaker: Liz Majic, Connecting Ottawa
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82229232211?pwd=bmdBWkpHL0VQL0tpUHBlTmN1Vmg4dz09
Meeting ID: 822 2923 2211
Passcode: 464850 More than 300,000 people stopped receiving jobless benefits through employment insurance in mid-September due to a massive transition that’s under way for workers as COVID-19 assistance programs change or expire. This education session will review the end of Canada’s Recovery Benefits, including the Canada Recovery Benefit, the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit, and the Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit. We will also discuss key changes to Employment Insurance that took effect as of September 26, 2021. This is important information for you to be aware of as you help clients to navigate joblessness and lengthy shutdowns in several sectors amidst a looming fourth wave.
Supporting clients applying for OSAP
Date: Thursday November 11, 2021Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Speaker: Liz Majic & Anneka Oh, Connecting Ottawa
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86204847609?pwd=TmdXTFFQbUg3V2haRU55VDlkbi9Idz09
Meeting ID: 862 0484 7609
Passcode: 017563
Other information sessions of interest:
Remote Work and the Duty to Accommodate Date: October 25, 2021 at 11:00 AM
Presented by: Reach Canada
Location: Virtual
Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvd-Cupj8qGtx3equJv1yF8Ntazm9mitDZ
Event Description: As COVID-19 restrictions ease across the province, employers are increasingly looking towards a hybrid model of return to in-person work. Join Reach Canada and Ottawa employment lawyer, Chris Rootham for a discussion on an employer’s duty to accommodate, how COVID-19 has changed attitudes and increased opportunities for remote work, and what implications these changes to remote work can have on people living with disabilities. The session will explore how a person with a disability can request an accommodation to work in person or from home.
Understanding Canadian Muslim Women Seeking Family Law Council: A session for legal professionals
Date: October 22, 2021, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Presented by: Canadian Council of Muslim Women
Registration link:www.ccmw.com/calendar
Event Description: A free online seminar designed for lawyers, paralegals, judges, and justices of the peace who would like to increase their understanding of how to provide legal counsel more effectively to Canadian Muslim women. The seminar will take a gendered approach to examine the intersections between Canadian family law and a range of Muslim understandings of concepts such as mahr, divorce, polygamy, and inheritance. This seminar is on track to be accredited by the Law Society of Ontario so that lawyers and paralegals may count it toward their Continuing legal education (CLE)/Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours.
Understanding Canadian Muslim Women Seeking Family Law Council: A session for community workers
Date: October 28, 2021, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Presented by: Canadian Council of Muslim Women
Registration link:www.ccmw.com/calendar
Event Description: A free online seminar for community workers such as social service providers, imams, scholars of Islam, and representatives of various community organizations who would like to increase their understanding of how to provide legal counsel more effectively to Canadian Muslim women. The seminar will take a gendered approach to examine the intersections between Canadian family law and a range of Muslim understandings of concepts such as mahr, divorce, polygamy, and inheritance.
HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO) Public Legal Education Series
Topic: Your Status, Your Rights: HIV Disclosure, Privacy and Confidentiality
Date: November 4, 2021, 3:30-4:30pm
Presented by: Glenn Betteridge, HALCO staff lawyer
Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GpxGHqfjTuiodoi5tWXw1w
Topic: HIV and Immigration/Refugee Law
Date: November 18, 2021, 3:30-4:30pm
Presented by: Avi Cheema, HALCO executive director
Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DsZ67qybS2ObUG5zzqJraw
Topic: HIV Non-Disclosure and the Law: An Update on Criminal and Public Health Law
Date: November 25, 3:30-4:30pm
Presented by: Ryan Peck, HALCO executive director/lawyer
Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Cr7i6HS4QY20nUSzfgEfQQ
Topic: Human Rights 101: An Introduction to Human Rights in Ontario
Date: December 2, 2021, 3:30-4:30pm
Presented by: Edward Carroll, HALCO staff lawyer
Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Wfod2fQtRKOzntG6JQxsYA
Topic: New and Emerging Issues in Income Support Programs
Date: December 9, 3:30-4:30pm
Presented by: Robin Nobleman, HALCO staff lawyer
Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_SQJq53hQRcuH73nmu6LuGw
Info Sheet: New City Rules and Standards for Rental Housing
Community Legal Services of Ottawa and Clinique juridique francophone de l’Est d’Ottawa have produced tip sheets in both English and French for tenants on the city’s new rental housing regulatory regime. The information sheet will be updated as new information is available. The English version is available at: https://connectingottawa.com/legal-topics/housing-law/ and the French version at https://connexionottawa.com/themes-juridiques/droit-du-logement/
Rent freeze to expire January 1, 2022
The province’s yearlong provincial rent freeze is set to expire on January 1, 2022. As a result, landlords of rent-controlled buildings will be permitted to raise rents up to 1.2% – the maximum allowable increase under the provincial guideline. However, landlords have to provide 90 days’ notice to raise rent for tenants that have occupied their units for 12 months or more. This means that some of your clients may have already received notice of a rent increase. To determine how much rent can increase, or if a client is covered by the guideline, visit Steps to Justice: How much can my rent go up? – Steps to Justice.
Access to Justice Week
The Ontario Access to Justice Week is planned for October 25-29, 2021. Throughout the week a number of virtual sessions will be offered centered around the themes of community building and inclusive justice. To view the full schedule and register, visit: https://lso.ca/theactiongroup/access-to-justice-week/schedule
CLEO On the Radar: Changes to ODSP Forms
Recently, the Ontario government changed all the forms in the Disability Determination Package for Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) applicants. But while the forms have changed, the legal test that decides whether a person is eligible for ODSP has not changed. This recent issue of Community Legal Education Ontario’s (CLEO) On the Radar publication looks at those changes and has tips to help community workers support their clients’ ODSP applications. To read the information, visit: https://mailchi.mp/cleo.on.ca/on-the-radar-changes-to-odsp-forms
Webinar Series: Responding To Mental Health Crisis: Learning from Ottawa and Beyond
The webinar series “Responding to Mental Health Crises: Learning What Works in Ottawa and Beyond’ is co-sponsored by the Social Planning Council of Ottawa, Minwaashin Lodge, Crime Prevention Ottawa, Ottawa Black Mental Health Coalition and Ottawa Community Partnerships for Health Equity. The seventh webinar in the series will be held on September 29 about the Recovery Connections program by Psychiatric Survivors of Ottawa. The next session will be on October 13 and highlight the Counselling Connect Service. Information on these and access to past webinars can be found at: https://ocphe.ca/mental-health-crises-response/
Connect with us … Connecting Ottawa is available to support front-line workers in Ottawa to provide appropriate legal information and referrals to clients with communication barriers as a result of language or sensory disability. If you have a question or require a consultation, please send it to info@connectingottawa.com along with an Intake Form: https://connecting-ottawa.fpbeta.com/request-for-information-consultation/ . This will ensure the most efficient response to your request. As a reminder, we do not provide direct legal services to individuals