This is a time when Canada must harness its community-driven resilience. We’re asking you to share examples of how Canadian communities are responding to the crisis with creativity and imagination. Collective problem-solving and collaboration will be instrumental in how Canada mitigates the local impacts of COVID-19 and creates on-the-ground solutions.

Highlighted Initiatives

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Initiatives

City of Oshawa organizes COVID-19 Business Town Hall event

General: Tools for engagement | Local businesses | Policy leadership

The moderated Q&A with the Mayor and Chair of the Development Services Committee was delivered by the City in partnership with the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Oshawa BIA.

Montréal pour fournir plus de ressources aux sans-abri, ouvrira 5 centres de jour en plein air

Housing and homelessness | Policy leadership

La Ville de Montréal ouvre cinq centres de jour en plein air, agrandit la place d’abri pour les hommes et les femmes et ajoute des toilettes publiques temporaires.

Montreal to provide more resources for the homeless, will open 5 outdoor day centres

Housing and homelessness | Policy leadership

The City of Montreal is opening five outdoor day centres, expanding shelter room for men and women, and adding temporary public toilets.

City of Mississauga holds Tele Town Hall amidst COVID-19 concerns

General: Tools for engagement | Policy leadership

City officials discussed city changes, recommendations issued, and precautionary hospital practices. Residents were also invited to participate in the Tele Town Hall by asking questions through a call-in hotline. The event was live streamed through the City’s website.

Residents in Belleville, Ontario encouraged to take part in #BellevilleCares initiative

Policy leadership

Each day over the next few weeks, the City will be sharing one good news story to its social media platforms to highlight some of the great things happening during such a challenging time. Residents can post to the City’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter accounts or submit by email

Le maire de Medicine Hat demande aux écoliers de dessiner ou de peindre leur partie préférée de la ville

Arts and Culture | Children | Policy leadership

Dans une vidéo postée sur la page YouTube du Chapeau de la Ville de Médecine, le maire a demandé aux écoliers de dessiner ou de peindre leur partie préférée de la ville.

Mayor of Medicine Hat asks schoolkids to draw or paint their favourite part of the city

Arts and Culture | Children | Policy leadership

In a video posted to the City of Medicine Hat’s YouTube page, the Mayor asked schoolkids to draw or paint their favourite part of the city.

Les propriétaires d’entreprise trouvent des moyens créatifs de maintenir les opérations en cours malgré les fermetures de devanture

Employment | Food | General: Online communities and networks | Learning and education | Local businesses

Certaines des adaptations comprennent le streaming en direct de cours de remise en forme, des consultations en ligne sur la santé, des repas précommandés au restaurant et la livraison à domicile de tout, de la bière aux livres. Pour de nombreux entrepreneurs, les changements ne sont pas seulement sur la survie des entreprises, mais aussi se tenir eux-mêmes et leurs employés occupés et motivés pendant la crise du coronavirus.

Business owners find creative ways to keep operations going despite storefront shutdowns

Employment | Food | General: Online communities and networks | Learning and education | Local businesses

Some of the adaptations include live streaming of fitness classes, online health consultations, preordered restaurant meals and home delivery of everything from beer to books. For many entrepreneurs, the changes aren’t just about business survival, but also keeping themselves and their employees busy and motivated during the coronavirus crisis.

First Book Canada launches campaign to deliver 1 million books to low-income families during COVID-19 pandemic

Arts and Culture | Fundraising and volunteering

Canadian publishers who have committed books to the program include Kids Can Press, Penguin Random House Canada, HarperCollins Canada, Breakwater Books, Simon & Schuster Canada and Inhabit Media. Donations are also being made by distributors like Raincoast Books and Publishers Group Canada and the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

First Policy Response met en lumière les meilleures idées de politique économique et sociale au Canada

Policy leadership

First Policy Response est un projet du Ryerson Leadership Lab, du Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship et de Matthew Mendelsohn. L’objectif est de réunir la communauté politique canadienne pour mettre en valeur les meilleures idées de politique économique et sociale pour nous maintenir à flot et ensemble.

First Policy Response highlights best economic and social policy ideas in Canada

Policy leadership

First Policy Response is a project of the Ryerson Leadership Lab, the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship, and Matthew Mendelsohn. The goal is to bring the Canadian policy community together to highlight the best economic and social policy ideas to keep us afloat and together.

Le plus important groupe de jeunes musulmans du Canada offre de l’aide aux aînés et aux résidents vulnérables pendant la pandémie du COVID-19

Children | Food | General: Online communities and networks

L’Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association a annoncé une campagne nationale d’aide de quartier, avec des jeunes musulmans offrant des services aux Canadiens qui ont besoin d’aide pour ramasser les courses et remplir les ordonnances. Le groupe affirme que des bénévoles seront également là pour fournir un soutien moral global.

Canada’s largest Muslim youth group offering help for seniors and vulnerable residents during COVID-19 pandemic

Children | Food | General: Online communities and networks

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association announced a nationwide Neighbourhood Helper campaign, with Muslim youth offering services to Canadians who need assistance with picking up groceries and filling prescriptions. The group says volunteers will also be there to provide overall moral support.

Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation announces $300,000 to support COVID-19 assistance to Waterloo Region charities

Fundraising and volunteering

$200,000 will be directed immediately to support the health and safety of charitable sector employees and volunteers working with our most vulnerable citizens. $100,000 is being used to establish the COVID-19 Charitable Recovery Fund at KWCF.

National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health releases COVID-19 precautions for multi-unit residential buildings

General: Sector resources | Housing and homelessness

The document synthesizes available evidence and guidance regarding COVID-19 precautions for multi-unit residential housing.

Fundraising in the Time of COVID-19: A Guide for Non-Profits

General: Sector resources | Local businesses

Developed by VITREO, an organization that has helped in fundraising and communications during recessions, the Fort McMurray wildfires, Calgary flood and now COVID-19.

Vancouver-based university creates website with links and resources for COVID-19

General: Sector resources | Learning and education | Mental health | Social isolation

SFU Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue’s WeGotchu contains information and resources relating to income/jobs, housing, school, food, health and mobility.

City staff, school workers proposing ways to keep themselves busy and services functioning

Frontline services | Policy leadership | Public health

In Winnipeg, library and recreation centre employees, whose jobs have become temporarily obsolete in an unexpected pandemic, are stocking shelves for Winnipeg Harvest, or filling sandbags to save homes prone to spring flooding.

Leadership Emergency Arts Network (LEAN) helping Canadian professional non-profit arts organizations

Arts and Culture | General: Online communities and networks | General: Sector resources | Income support

This national initiative has over 100 advisers signed on: sector leaders including board members, current and former arts Executive Directors, consultants, etc. from every province and territory. For those who need help with strategic decision-making, crisis response, financial analysis, board direction, relationship mediation, HR management, systems change or inspirational leadership, they should email leanartscanada@gmail.com

Montreal public health authority promotes flatten.ca/aplatir.ca website to help track spread of COVID-19

Policy leadership | Public health

Montreal’s public health authority is asking citizens to participate in a web-based data-gathering project called flatten.ca, or aplatir.ca, designed to track COVID-19 cases to better understand how it is spreading in the city.

Les plaintes se déversent dans la ligne de pointe COVID-19

Policy leadership | Public health

En seulement cinq jours, les Londoniens ont déposé 1 250 plaintes au sujet de personnes et d’entreprises qui ne suivent pas les ordonnances provinciales de COVID-19. Environ 70 p. 100 des plaintes déposées ont été déposées par courriel, le reste par téléphone. Plutôt que d’émettre des amendes, ces appels téléphoniques se sont concentrés sur l’éducation de ceux qui ne suivent peut-être pas les règles provinciales.

Complaints pour into COVID-19 tip line

Policy leadership | Public health

In just five days, Londoners have lodged 1,250 complaints about people and businesses not following provincial COVID-19 orders. About 70 per cent of complaints filed have been through email, the remainder by telephone.Rather than issuing fines, those phone calls have focussed on educating those who may not be following provincial rules.

City of London, ON closes streets/bridges to cars to give cyclists & pedestrians more space

Mobility and transportation | Parks and public space | Policy leadership

City officials say they want to make it easier for pedestrians to follow physical distancing guidelines of at least two metres from others. The city hopes closing some streets and bridges to cars will provide more space for people walking and biking at these locations. Parks, green spaces, trails and pathways remain open for walk-through only. The city says it will be actively monitoring outdoor spaces

La suppression des tarifs de transport en commun à Timmins entraîne par inadvertance une augmentation de l’achalandage

Mobility and transportation

« Malgré une baisse notable de l’achalandage global, nous avons connu une augmentation récente de l’utilisation du transport en commun par les passagers non réguliers, ce qui reflète probablement notre structure tarifaire gratuite actuelle et le manque de choses à faire et d’endroits où aller compte tenu de la fermeture de diverses installations et programmes communautaires », a déclaré Mark Jensen, directeur des services communautaires et de développement de la ville.

Waived transit fares in Timmins inadvertently leads to surge in ridership

Mobility and transportation

“Despite a notable drop in overall ridership, we have experienced a recent surge in transit use by non-regular passengers which is likely a reflection of our current free fare structure and a lack of things to do and places to go given the closure of various community facilities and programs,” said Mark Jensen, the city’s director of community and development services.

City of Winnipeg to open its four active transportation routes for pedestrians & cyclists to allow physical distancing space

Mobility and transportation | Policy leadership

The City of Winnipeg is opening up its annual active transportation routes for pedestrians and cyclists, though the routes will be monitored to ensure Winnipeggers are practising physical distancing to fight the spread of COVID-19. Routes will limit vehicle traffic to one block from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day until May 3

La Ville de Stratford, à l’Ile-du-Prince-Édouard, célèbre son 25e anniversaire par le biais d’un événement Facebook en ligne

General: Online communities and networks

Une page d’événements sur la page Facebook de la ville a fourni aux résidents une liste de 25 façons de célébrer. Certaines des suggestions comprenaient la cuisson d’un gâteau d’anniversaire, la décoration des fenêtres avant avec des messages d’anniversaire et des décorations, et l’écriture d’une chanson, poème ou une nouvelle fictive sur Stratford.

Town of Stratford PEI celebrates 25th birthday through online Facebook event

General: Online communities and networks

An event page on the town’s Facebook page provided residents with a list of 25 ways to celebrate. Some of the suggestions included baking a birthday cake, decorating front windows with birthday messages and decorations, and writing a song, poem or fictional short story about Stratford.

Hamilton convertira les centres de rec en refuges d’auto-isolement COVID-19 pour les sans-abri

Housing and homelessness | Policy leadership

La Ville s’efforce également de s’assurer que les points d’accueil existants disposent des ressources nécessaires pour rester ouverts. Les nouveaux sites d’auto-isolement « en arrêt de dos » n’accepteront que les résidents sans abri qui sont dirigés par des responsables du refuge, des médecins ou des autorités hospitalières. Cela signifie que la ville ne publiera pas publiquement les emplacements du centre de récréation.

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