In the past week, we have seen 3 tragic events that have touched our community. The shootings on Gilmour Street this past week included the death of a young Bay Ward resident who was a promising athlete and musician, Manyok Akol.
This is incredibly sad when you think of the potential of these young men. I want to offer my condolences to all those touched by the loss of Manyok, particularly his family and friends. It is clear that we need to find ways to offer young people opportunities to give them hope for a promising future that is crime free. I plan to work with our community services along with our Police Services on preventative measures related to youth and gang involvement. This is a complex problem with no simple solutions but we must support youth because they are our future.
This morning, there was a fire on Zephyr Street in Britannia. My condolences go out to the family and friends of the person who lost their life. I want to thank Ottawa Fire Services for their efforts to bring this blaze under control and protect local residents.
The plane crash of the Ukrainian Airlines flight in Iran touched many residents in Ottawa. My condolences to the family and friends who lost their lives on this flight. I appreciate that the flags at city hall are at half-mast to mark this tragic incident.
The weather forecast for this weekend is not promising with heavy amounts of freezing rain. I hope everyone will stay safe and avoid unnecessary travel. Stay close to your loved ones and give them a hug. Let us all count our blessings.