“Upon reflection, I have been thinking about what has been the best thing that came out of all of this? I think it was building the trusting relationship with the Ottawa Sport Council and the sector- it has been a really great outcome,” shared Krystal Taylor.

Ottawa Public Health has been a tremendous support to the Ottawa community sport sector over the last two years. OPH has worked collaboratively with the sector to deliver sport-specific e-newsletters, host Town Halls, and inform city policy regarding COVID-19 prevention in sport.

Community engagement is a top priority in Ottawa Public Health’s mandate. Specifically, engagement with the community sport sector really came to the forefront during the pandemic because of its size and reach across the city as well as the high risk of transmission that was seen during the early days of the pandemic.

“In those early days, OPH was receiving many questions from the sport sector through various mediums,” said Krystal Taylor, OPH staff member, “It highlighted to us that we needed targeted information, and information in different formats, for this sector. Also, our case management team was seeing a lot of transmission of COVID linked with sport activities.”

This sparked initial conversations between Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Sport Council. The two worked together to host focus groups that would help OPH develop valuable resources and policies for sport in Ottawa. These focus groups set the foundation for a trusting relationship between OPH and the sector.

Ottawa Public Health continued to work with the sector throughout the pandemic to deliver the best information in the most effective formats. OPH team members, like Krystal, looked to find the best ways to meet the sport sector’s needs.  Tools, including scenario-based decision trees, proved helpful to community sport organizations across the city.

As the pandemic continued to evolve, so did the relationship between OPH and the community sport sector. Ottawa Public Health moved beyond sharing information, to creating conversations with the sector. Town Halls hosted in collaboration with the Ottawa Sport Council were one way in which OPH engaged the sport sector in Ottawa. The Town Halls provided the opportunity to bring to life the information, and to host live Q&A sessions with the sector.

Later, as OPH built a relationship with the Ottawa Sport Council and community sport organizations, focus groups were hosted regarding upcoming policy decisions to understand the sector’s needs and perspectives. The focus groups helped to inform local city policy regarding COVID-19 prevention.

As we look forward, OPH is grateful for the continued dedication of community sport and hopeful that the relationships developed during these unprecedented times will continue for years to come. Ottawa Public Health’s mandate is to support and build capacities in others, while reducing barriers to wellness in the community, a goal shared by the Ottawa Sport Council.  The pandemic has paved the way for the sport sector and OPH to continue to work together in other areas and to strengthen our community.

Thank you to the Ottawa Public Health teams that have supported community sport throughout the pandemic and have worked so collaboratively to meet the needs of organizations across the city.

To learn more about the initiatives of Ottawa Public Health, we invite you to visit their website and follow them on social media!