My Experience at CityFolk Can Serve as a Model for Other Festivals

 As soon as I heard Iggy Pop was coming to City Folk, I was so excited. Iggy Pop has been on my concert bucket list for a long time. I’ve been a fan for many years, and not just of his music. I’ve always found him fascinating, especially during interviews

PWD Demands Left Behind as On-Demand Service Arrives

 Last Thursday, city staff decided that Blackburn Hamlet would be a good area to begin the test pilot to see if on-demand transit service would work in Ottawa. A Para Transpo bus will be used as part of the test pilot. Users will be able to book a ride through

Taking a Trip Down Memory Lane Should be Wheelchair Accessible

 During the summer months, Ottawa comes alive with festivals. So far, I’ve attended RBC Bluesfest, the Fringe Festival, ​​and the Buskers Festival. Still to come is CityFolk, which takes place from September 13th to 17th. One festival that I didn’t attend was the Nostalgia Music Festival, which took place this

OC Transpo On-Demand Service Will Leave More People Stranded

 One of the big stories locally last week was the announcement by OC Transpo that they will be testing an on-demand service this fall. Transit General Manager Renee Amilcar said the service will be similar to Uber. People will be able to book a ride through an app. To implement

Ottawa to get on Demand Transit Service Pilot

 Today's Ottawa Transit Commission meeting began with OC Transpo boss Renee Amilcar pointing to some operational successes in the last few months, including the integration of red card readers on all buses and the O-Train Confederation line. The readers can accept debit and credit cards as well as Presto cards

Beautiful things happen when everyone is included

 The Ottawa Fringe Festival has returned, and I’ve been having a blast so far. Before I get into the good stuff, I must mention Para Transpo. I had planned to attend the Ottawa Fringe Festival last Thursday night with my friend; My ride was booked for 4 pm. After waiting

When Our Air Suffers, We All Suffer

 By Ryan Lythall As a ventilator-dependent person, last week was quite scary. Ottawa was under a poor air quality advisory for three days due to smoke about two hours away. It was my first experience with poor air quality in Ottawa. I heard reports of staying indoors. I had errands

Why Has the Mayor and Council Allowed Para Transpo to Become Unsafe?

 I planned to discuss a different topic this week, but life throws curveballs. When you’re a person with a disability, and you rely on Para Transpo, well, they don’t make it easy on you. It can become very frustrating and sometimes even risky. So, get comfortable if you can because

Please get out to vote today and keep PWD in mind!

 Last week, I posted a list of local candidates who are including and LISTENING to people with disabilities and PROMISING to help us. Since today is Election Day, I’ll repost the list for those who missed it last week and those who didn’t vote early. I’m happy to say that

A list of local candidates that actually listen to PWD

 Last Thursday, I watched the Mayoral debate on CTV Ottawa. Full disclosure: I get bored the few times I’ve watched debates. Sadly, I get bored because issues that people with disabilities face are rarely mentioned. Scratch that. They’re never mentioned. This was also the case during the debate on CTV

The cost of voting municipally if you’re on ODSP

 I planned to cast my vote last weekend at city hall, but I was sick. Even now, I’m still feeling rough. For me, Ottawa City Hall is an ideal location. Not only is it near me, but city hall also has wheelchair accessible bathrooms, a small art gallery, and space

How the Ottawa Transit Challenge continues to fall short of addressing PWD’s concerns

 ABOVE: Tweets from Transit riders participating in the 2022 Ottawa Transit Challenge. Now, imagine the reactions if these people were wheelchair-bound and forced to use ParaTranspo/ In 2019, the Ottawa Transit Riders, a local advocacy group pushing for better public transportation, came up with an idea named the Ottawa Transit

Unelected councillor angry about accusations of OC Transpo gaslighting

 ABOVE: Ward 4 Kanata North Councillor Cathy Curry took great offense to criticism of OC Transpo's new ad campaign. The Ottawa Transit Commission met today for its final time with its current board. It was Sarah Wright-Gilbert who kicked things off quickly with a contentious discussion. The publicly appointed commissioner accused Commission Chair

A broken chair in a broken system can leave you in a dangerous spot

 I have a quick update regarding last week’s article. Last week, I wrote about a friend being stranded at the hospital because Para Transpo initially refused to pick her up, and Westway Taxi never showed up. A person from OC Transpo reached out to them to apologize and mentioned that the

Another broken promise to PWD from the City of Ottawa

 Before I get rolling in too deep, I want to say hello. Hello and welcome, especially to those reading me for the first time. Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you stick around. In case you missed reading this past Saturday’s edition of The Ottawa Citizen, there was

Please continue to wear your masks in indoor public spaces

 On Saturday, Ontario removed mask mandates in public transit and healthcare settings. I should point out that all hospitals in Ottawa will continue with mask requirements. This means we will no longer be required to wear masks in public transit, healthcare settings, and indoor spaces. Here’s where things get a

With one roll at a time, we’ll get there eventually

 In last week’s column, I gave detailed instructions on using the new My Para Transpo website. This week, I wanted to give a little insight and talk about my experiences with the My Para Transpo website. On February 21, 2020, online booking became a reality. In the beginning, the website

How to use the new My Para Transpo website

 I rarely get a chance to share good news regarding Para Transpo and for my fellow users. Last week, OC Transpo officially launched the My Para Transpo website. Through My Para Transpo, users of Para Transpo can do the following: Book trips for the next day, or seven days in

Attention city hall: Please stop ignoring Para Transpo riders

 Last week, I took my first trip of 2022 on Para Transpo. While my experience on that day went smoothly, it’s not always the case. Having a positive experience with Para Transpo can almost be a reason to celebrate. For those who aren’t aware of what Para Transpo is, I’ll

Head of OC Transpo reports that readiness plan kept the system running smoothly

 ABOVE: The Ottawa Transit Commission virtual meeting. (RIGHT) Renée Amilcar, General Manager of OC Transpo. The Ottawa’s Transit Commission convened today for a virtual meeting. It was the first meeting of the year and the first since November 17, 2021. Renée Amilcar, General Manager of OC Transpo, summarized the services and

Struggling to make sense of how our city lost control

 When typing this article, the occupation of truck drivers is still happening. Despite Ottawa and Ontario being under a state of emergency, nothing has changed. Outside of issuing tickets and a few arrests, The Ottawa Police continue to do nothing besides watching others take over our city. Our mayor continues

Ottawa refuses to believe that people with disabilities matter

 This week, I want to tackle a few issues. In a way, they’re all connected, at least, in my brain. First and foremost, how about this weather? Please don’t shoot me for a lame question. We had a major snowstorm last week for those of you outside of Ottawa, and

Welcome to 2022. It’s time to review, and begin anew.

 Right off the bat, or in my case, the wheel, I want to say Happy 2022 to everyone. I hope that this year brings you happiness, good health, kindness, and an end to the pandemic once and for all. Since this is the first full week of January, the holidays

As free transit rolls on, many Para Transpo riders are left behind

 Last week, I talked about Para Transpo and how free transit this month would affect their riders due to a shortage of drivers. I also created the hashtag #ParaTranspoInDecember for riders to report any delays and other barriers that interfered with their trips. Since then, I have been on Para

A reminder about free transit in December and how Para Transpo isn’t ready for it.

 At least twice last week, I needed to remind my friends that public transportation will be free for the entire month of December, and that includes Para Transpo. I completely understand why some may forget or think it wouldn’t apply to Para Transpo customers. As I’ve noted before, the City