#492 Child and Family Health

Ward 13 · Rideau-Rockcliffe

2027: Ottawa's Year for Children and Youth — What I'd Actually Do

A letter of support to Kids Come First and the Ottawa Children and Youth Initiative — and a decades-old health report that made the same argument this campaign keeps making.

Peter Karwacki  |  Candidate, Ward 13  |  September 5, 2026

I was recently invited to support 2027: Ottawa's Year for Children and Youth, a joint initiative of Kids Come First and the Ottawa Children and Youth Initiative, backed by more than 180 partner organizations across the city. I could have sent back a short statement of endorsement. Instead I want to explain why this issue isn't new to me, and what I'd actually commit to doing about it.

Years ago, in an earlier career, I prepared a health promotion report for the Kenora Rainy River health region. The central recommendation was simple, and at the time uncontroversial: put families and children at the centre of the health system, because nearly every downstream outcome — literacy, mental health, chronic disease, community resilience — traces back to whether children had stable, supported early years.

Reading the invitation from Kids Come First and OCYI, I was struck by how little that core finding has changed. What has changed is that municipalities now clearly own more of the levers than a health region ever did.

Housing, transit, parks, libraries, public safety, the built environment that decides whether a child can walk to school or a family can afford to stay in the neighbourhood they grew up in — those are council decisions now, not just health-system ones. So instead of a general statement of support, here is what I told them I would actually do.

Four commitments

1. Apply a child and youth lens where I already apply an accountability lens

   My campaign is built around measuring outcomes against announcements — auditing what the City actually delivers versus what it commits to. Children and youth outcomes get lost easily in that gap, because a ribbon-cutting reads as progress whether or not the underlying need was met. Bathgate Park in Carson Grove is one example already on record: it lost its basketball court in a 2026-27 restoration while a comparable park across the river got a full modernization, court included, a few years earlier. Nobody filed that under "youth outcomes." I intend to keep asking that question of every file — not just the ones with the word "youth" on the label.

2. Treat infrastructure and safety gaps that affect kids as urgent, not routine

   Sidewalk completion near schools, a pedestrian-activated crossing on Aviation Parkway near a busy college corridor, flood and sewage-outfall issues near a popular family swimming spot with no rescue equipment on site — none of these are dramatic on their own. Together, they're the daily infrastructure of whether a family in Rideau-Rockcliffe can let a kid walk, bike, or swim safely. I'd rather fix ten of these quietly than announce one large initiative loudly.

3. Support real channels for youth voice — and stay skeptical of ceremonial ones

   Low voter turnout structurally entrenches incumbents and leaves urban wards outvoted on council. That same dynamic hits residents who can't vote at all even harder. If 2027 is going to create meaningful ways for children and youth to be heard, their input needs to be tied to actual budget or planning decisions — not folded into a consultation that's already been decided. I'll support the initiative's engagement work, and push publicly, if necessary, for the City to show where that input changed anything.

4. Be a champion, with the same conditions I hold every file to

   I'll publicly support 2027 and show up to the events, not just the launch. But I've told voters throughout this campaign that I'll tell them the truth even when it's less comfortable than what they'd prefer to hear. I'll extend that to this initiative too: a champion for the outcomes, and an honest critic if the City treats 2027 as a communications moment rather than a real change in how it spends and plans.

Why this matters for a municipal race: Children and youth well-being rarely shows up as its own line item at City Hall — it's scattered across parks budgets, transit files, planning applications, and community safety reports. That scattering is exactly how accountability gets lost, and exactly why it needs the same evidence-first scrutiny as every other file I've raised this campaign.

Thank you to Kids Come First, OCYI, and the more than 180 partner organizations already doing this work across Ottawa. My Kenora Rainy River report is decades old now, and I'm glad to see the same recommendation still being made. I'd rather see 2027 be the year it finally sticks — at the municipal level, where the levers actually are.

Peter Karwacki

Candidate, Ward 13 (Rideau-Rockcliffe), Ottawa 2026 Municipal Election

Originally published as an open letter to the Kids Come First / OCYI Steering Committees, September 5, 2026.  |  peterkarwacki.blogspot.com

i

Money Into CHEO Won't Help Most Families. Here's Why.

Vera Etches asked me a question about children's health recently.

Worth naming up front: most people in Ward 13 still picture Dr. Etches as Ottawa's Medical Officer of Health, the person who steered the city through COVID. That's not her job anymore. Since March 2025 she's been President and CEO of CHEO — a hospital in the middle of a ten-year, multi-hundred-million-dollar redevelopment plan. That's not a criticism. It's context. A question about children's health from a hospital CEO mid-capital-campaign is a different kind of question than the same one from a public health officer, and it deserves a different kind of answer.

The uncomfortable evidence

The most-cited framework in population health research — the one underlying tools like the County Health Rankings model — attributes roughly 80% of health outcomes to social and economic factors (income, education, housing, food security) and only about 20% to clinical care: hospitals, treatment, access to doctors.

That's not a fringe claim. It's the consensus starting point in public health research, and it's a big part of why the income → education → health gradient shows up at every rung of the income ladder, not just below some poverty line.

What it means in plain terms: CHEO spending buys better outcomes for kids who are already sick. Faster surgery. Better specialty care. Shorter waits. That matters enormously to those families, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

But it does almost nothing to change how many kids in Ward 13 show up sick, anxious, or behind in the first place. That's decided upstream — years before a hospital is involved — by whether a family can afford stable housing, whether a parent can get to a job without a two-hour commute, whether a kid has a safe park within walking distance. None of that is a hospital's job to fix. It isn't in CHEO's mandate, and it isn't in CHEO's budget.

What I'm not saying

I'm not saying CHEO doesn't matter or shouldn't be funded. I'm saying that if the honest goal is fewer sick kids, not just better care for the kids who are already sick, the marginal dollar does more good somewhere else — and that "somewhere else" is mostly municipal, not provincial or hospital-based.

What's actually on my desk

This is the part that matters for a Ward 13 candidate, because it's the part I can actually do something about:

• Housing supply and stability — kids in unstable housing show worse outcomes on nearly every measure before they ever see a doctor.
• Transit access to jobs — parental income is the biggest single lever on the gradient, and transit access to employment is a direct income lever.
• Parks and recreation — Bathgate Park lost its basketball court in a "restoration" project and hasn't gotten one back. That's a small thing on its own. It's also exactly the kind of small thing that's supposed to add up to the 80%.
• Safety infrastructure kids actually use — sidewalks near schools, a proper crossing at Aviation Parkway, rescue equipment at McKay Pond. None of it shows up in a hospital budget. All of it shows up in the gradient.

The honest answer

So here's my honest answer to Dr. Etches, and to anyone else who asks: I support CHEO. I'm not the person to ask about CHEO's budget, and neither is any other municipal candidate — that's a provincial and hospital-board conversation. What I am the person to ask about is the 80% that's actually within municipal reach, and that's where I'd rather spend the conversation.

 September 5, 2026

Vera Etches, President & CEO, CHEO, Co-Chair, Kids Come First Steering Committee

Christopher Vallée, Co-Chair, Kids Come First Steering Committee

Josée Blackburn, Director, Kids Come First

Mary Donaghy, CEO, Ottawa Catholic School Board, Co-Chair, OCYI Steering Committee

Michelle Crogie, Executive Director, Pleo, Co-Chair, OCYI Steering Committee

Mohamed Sofa, Executive Director, Britannia Woods Community Services, OCYI Host Organization

Re: 2027 — Ottawa's Year for Children and Youth

Dear Ms. Etches, Mr. Vallée, Ms. Blackburn, Ms. Donaghy, Ms. Crogie, and Mr. Sofa,

Thank you for the invitation to support 2027: Ottawa's Year for Children and Youth. I'm writing not just as a candidate in Rideau-Rockcliffe, but as someone who spent part of an earlier career making almost exactly the argument your letter makes — and finding out how hard it is to keep an institution honest about it once the room empties out.

Years ago I prepared a health promotion report for the Kenora Rainy River health region. The principal recommendation was simple and, at the time, uncontroversial: put families and children at the centre of the health system, because almost every downstream outcome — literacy, mental health, chronic disease, community resilience — traces back to whether children had stable, supported early years. Reading your letter, I was struck by how little that core finding has changed. What has changed is that municipalities now clearly own more of the levers than a health region ever did: housing, transit, parks, libraries, public safety, and the built environment that decides whether a child can walk to school or a family can afford to stay in the neighbourhood they grew up in.

So I want to answer your question directly, not with a general statement of support, but with what I would actually do.

1. I will apply a child and youth lens where I already apply an accountability lens.

My campaign is built around measurable outcomes over announcements — auditing what the City actually delivers against what it commits to. Children and youth outcomes are exactly the kind of thing that gets lost in that gap, because a ribbon-cutting reads as progress whether or not the underlying need was met. In Ward 13, I've already documented one example: Bathgate Park in Carson Grove lost its basketball court in a 2026-27 restoration project while a comparable park across the river received a full modernization, including a new court, a few years earlier. That's a child and youth well-being outcome, even though nobody filed it under that heading. I intend to keep asking that question of every file, not just the ones labelled "youth."

2. I will treat infrastructure and safety gaps that affect kids as urgent, not routine.

Several pieces of my ward platform are, at root, child-safety files: sidewalk completion near schools, a pedestrian-activated crossing on Aviation Parkway near a busy college corridor, flood and sewage-outfall issues near a popular family swimming spot with no rescue equipment on site. None of these are dramatic on their own. Together they're the daily infrastructure of whether a family in Rideau-Rockcliffe can let a kid walk, bike, or swim safely. I'd rather fix ten of these than announce one large initiative.

3. I will support real channels for youth voice, and be skeptical of ceremonial ones.

I've spent this campaign arguing that Ottawa's low voter turnout structurally entrenches incumbents and leaves urban wards outvoted on council. The same dynamic applies, more sharply, to residents who can't vote at all. If 2027 is going to create meaningful ways for children and youth to be heard, I'd want to see their input tied to actual budget or planning decisions, not folded into a consultation that's already been decided. I'll support the initiative's Snapshot and engagement work, and I'll push, publicly if necessary, for the City to show where that input changed anything.

4. If elected, I will be a champion — with the same conditions I hold every file to.

I'll publicly support 2027: Ottawa's Year for Children and Youth, and I'll show up to the events, not just the launch. But I've told voters throughout this campaign that I'll tell them the truth even when it's less comfortable than what they'd prefer to hear. I'll extend that to your initiative as well: I'll be a champion for the outcomes, and an honest critic if the City treats 2027 as a communications moment rather than a change in how it actually spends and plans. I think that's the kind of support that's actually useful to you.

Thank you for the work OCYI, Kids Come First, and your more than 180 combined partner organizations already do in this city. My Kenora Rainy River report is decades old now, and I'm glad to see the same recommendation still being made — I'd rather see 2027 be the year it finally sticks at the municipal level.

Sincerely,

Peter Karwacki

Candidate, Ward 13 (Rideau-Rockcliffe), Ottawa 2026 Municipal Election

peterkarwacki.blogspot.com