Cathy Curry

The only two sureties in life…

CathyCurry — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 06:07:00 +0000

Taxes stink. However, as I have tried to teach my children, taxes help pay for many of the things we enjoy everyday; we just don’t really think about that when we get our tax bills. That said, COVID19 changed the game for governments all over the world. In Ottawa, we are not alone in our efforts to try to balance rising costs with reduced revenue. The promises made regarding 3% may be difficult to achieve. However, with the tremendous growth in Kanata, Stittsville, Orleans, Barrhaven, Nepean South, Riverside and intensification projects all over the city, revenue generation is not as challenging here compared to many other cities across Ontario, Canada and the world, for that matter. I attended two community budget consultations and heard what residents had to say as did the City of Ottawa staff. I look forward to hearing the rationale for holding to a 3% tax increase and will do my best to balance the needs of the community with our rising costs.

We need a children’s recovery plan

CathyCurry — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 06:00:00 +0000

The pandemic’s impact on children will be felt for decades to come. CHEO and the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Children and Youth Mental Health know intimately that you only have once chance to have a good childhood. Given the repercussions of reduced social, physical and mental stimulation on developing brains, swift action must be taken to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on children. While the various provincial and federal ministries are largely responsible for funding allocations for children’s services, there is much municipalities can do to ensure the facilities that are required to run children’s programming are open and available for the many organizations who run programs for children and youth. The Ottawa Fusion Volleyball Club was one of the very few volleyball clubs to keep running practices throughout the pandemic, only stopping temporarily for lock down periods. Most Ontario clubs folded or paused. Resurrecting clubs and programming will take a recognition by all that children have lost opportunities that we can help them recoup.

Why parents should ask their children what they learned at school today…

CathyCurry — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 21:14:00 +0000

I was so glad to spend September 30^th, 2021 in an Ottawa elementary school. As the students and I read through the 96 Calls to Action, the insightful comments and thoughtful dialogue that took place was enlightening. What struck me was students’ clarity of the concept that wrongs must be made right. In addition, when asked what we could do in our education system to address any of the Calls, the students had concrete, specific and creative ideas for many of the Calls. I believe that all organizations should go through a similar process of looking at each Call to Action and determining what they can do, specifically, to start making what is wrong, right.

Why do you want to do this, Cathy?

CathyCurry — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 05:56:00 +0000

When former City Councillor, Jenna Sudds, was successful in being elected as a Member of Canada’s Parliament, a number of colleagues, friends, neighbours and Kanata residents reached out to me to ask me if I would consider filling the now-vacant Ward 4 spot on Council. I didn’t consider it at first as I quite enjoy the life I have right now—teaching occasionally, serving on many of our city’s impactful boards and gradually working on my Masters of Arts in Counselling Psychology online. However, I thought about it longer and, given the encouragement of the people whose opinions I respect, I decided that I could and I would. Given that I only take the required courses for my program when it fits into my schedule, I have a flexible end date for the degree I am taking. (I plan to be a psychotherapist for children and youth sometime in the next 5-10 years.) Frankly, most people in my family live to be 100, so I have always tried to plan my life on that 100-year time line. So, I can do this now. And, given the decades I have chosen to serve my community in so many different capacities, my experience would make me an excellent candidate. Moreover, I feel that even with only 11 months remaining in the term, I feel that I could bring the concerns of Kanata North residents to the table as I did as a school trustee and Chair of the OCDSB. Meaningful consultation for me meant meeting with all of Kanata’s school council chairs and community associations once a month. I looked forward to doing that again.

The future is bright

CathyCurry — Sat, 18 Sep 2021 21:13:00 +0000

I am always amazed at how much this generation’s children care about others. We are doing something right in education and in society given how much the students today are aware of, and want to take action to fix, the inequities we all see in our neighborhoods, our schools, our communities and all over the world. When I hear people lament about teenagers or children today, I wish that they could spend time in our schools and listen to what the adults of tomorrow are spending time thinking about. I have great faith in the generations of children with whom I have been so privileged to spend my days. Our future is bright as the leaders of tomorrow are headed in the right direction.

A shot in the arm…

CathyCurry — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 06:08:00 +0000

I am so proud (and I brag to my mother in Scarborough regularly) that Ottawa has one of the highest percentage of vaccinated citizens in all of Canada. Hearing regular updates at the Caldwell Family Centre board meetings that Ottawa Community Housing staff were going door-to-door with Ottawa Public Health staff to vaccinate people right at their front doors made me even more proud to live in this city. My four children and I were all front-line workers throughout the pandemic, working in long-term care, schools, camps, restaurants, and grocery stores. We were as careful as we could possibly be, but counted down the days to get both of our vaccinations. I look forward to the day where we no longer have to wear masks (so hard to hear people!), but I am also happy to do my part to prevent any further waves as variants change.